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We Preach Christ Crucified
Through hymns, poems, and the lens of personal experience, a leading spiritual director and author takes a thoughtful, in-depth look at the Cross as a focal point for theology, spirituality, Christian symbolism, and discipleship, providing a probing and disturbing resource for group study during Lent.
- GenresReligion
100 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 19, 2025
"The notion of an interior "spiritual" kingdom would have been wholly without meaning for the people of Jesus time."
I think that quote gives a hint about this book's approach to the Crucifixion. It is a book for believers and it doesn't mince words. Ken Leech was a contradictory man and mystic. The book itself sometimes simmers with contradiction but the first chapter acts as a sort of warning,: Jesus cross is nothing if not a scandal, a failure, "God lets himself be pushed out of the world on to the cross' -D. Bonhoeffer.
We call the remembrance of his death, of God becoming a looser, weak and a fool, "Good" Friday. Christians are called to be holy fools so they can become wise. The crucifixion is meant to bring about a 'krisis', an upheaval and turbulence beyond the boundaries of rationality to open the soul. We'd like a sanitized version of the cross and a confinement of its meaning. But the path to the cross shows a very different path. Lent begins with the memory of our own mortality as represented by the ashes on Ash Wednesday, bringing up death in a world that tries to hide it. The temptations of Christ while he was alone in the wilderness, material power, spiritual and political power, indicate that the crucifixion was a complete surrender, an utter dismissal of the world's wisdom. And yet, even today...
"The Church is easily seduced by the kingdoms of the world so that it takes on their image, becomes an imperium, a power structure, whose institutional form is shaped by the prevailing secular hierarchical and bureaucratic models and not by the gospel. Power and stability come to matter more than truth. When power is is primary and the Church is seen as an end in itself, the road to some kind of fascism is wide open. "
Kennet Leech goes out of his way to point out that there is a lot that can go wrong even among believers. While emphasizing that a suffering Jesus is not a negotiation but the central tenet of Christian belief, he reminds the reader that suffering and self-sacrifice per se are neither to be sought nor a guarantee of a higher spiritual life and in most cases it simply becomes resentment and bitterness. But when suffering comes as it inevitably will, the cross might open the path to a higher joy and all guilt died with Jesus in the cross.
"At the same time there is no shortage of "spirituality". But we are being offered spirituality as another product in the market. Much of it lacks grief, struggle, rage and passion, those features which are so central (...) to the spirituality of the crucified God. Much contemporary spirituality lacks the imaginative encounter with poverty, pain and dereliction. It is a spirituality which has ceased to struggle and which therefore has ceased to be in Christ. So as our culture spawns numerous privatized spiritualities, thousands die in the cold."
I enjoyed the fact that Ken Leech points out the political and social nature of Jesus's life . The usual quotes that many use to deny the relevance of Jesus mission in politics and separate Jesus from their everyday mischief are John 18:36 where Jesus claims his Kingdom " is not of this world" and Margaret's Tatcher's favorite:"Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's" (Mark:12:13-17). But Jesus was very involved in the context of his time, most prominently with the heavy taxation imposed by Romans and the Temple alike. He ate with sinners and tax collectors, went around with a rabble of fishermen and Zealot sympathizers, he had the authorities worried he might actually succeed to topple them. Moreover, Leech makes it clear the Kingdom is central to te gospel and that being "not of this world" doesn't mean it is somewhere else but very much questioning this world we live in.
"Non-Christians often pay respect to the 'spirit of Jesus' as a spirit of goodwill, tolerance and kindness. This is to ignore a great deal in the accounts that suggests that, far from producing harmony, Jesus produced division, bringing not peace but a sword, setting members of families against one another, and leading to anger and social unrest. Yet we too easily emphasize reconciliation without seeing these other aspects ."
There's no reconciliation possible with the powers of darkness. Ken Leech will retake this theme of reconciliation a bit later to show that Jesus followers are taught not to fight the demons with their own weapons. Violence , revolutionary violence leads to some kind of fascism. To do violence so merely demolishes the demonic structures while the demons transfer to one's own address: fighting demons with their own methods is the best way to become demonic. The author does highlight that the message the the cross is a message of unwavering love. "(...) reconciliation is often used cheaply, glibly and superficially. Yet while the noun and the verb are uncommon in the New Testament, and, apart from Mathew 5:24, occur only in Paul's writings , the theme is a vital one. The dark night is the prelude to the light of the resurrection. The gulf and abyss that the cross exposes in all its horror is not the end; the end is liberation, the breaking down of the division , the overcoming of the gulf"
"Throughout history, the cross stands as a symbol of protest and revolt: protest against all claims, whether by religious or political power, to absolute unquestioning control over human minds and bodies; revolt against all systems and ideologies, all regimes and institutions which continue to push individuals and groups beyond the pale, outside the gate. The cross stands as as symbol of falsehood and demonic nature of all religions which sanctify established injustice, religions of the status quo, which continue to reproduce Calvaries all over the world . The cross is a crisis point for societies which seek to produce men and women who are trained to give unquestioning uncritical obedience to worldly powers and not Christ, a crisis point for all system of violence, systems that are bound to lead to reproduction of Calvaries great and small ; a crisis point for all who despise the weak and small people , and in so doing despise Christ."
The book proceeds touching on all the other aspects of the Crucifixion and the meaning of the cross. The radical message of love to all, including enemies; the importance of seeking salvation not in private but as a community; the utter misguided antisemitism of many Christian believers rooted on the tale of the martyrdom and death of Christ, the dark night of the soul and the final trampling over death.
I think that quote gives a hint about this book's approach to the Crucifixion. It is a book for believers and it doesn't mince words. Ken Leech was a contradictory man and mystic. The book itself sometimes simmers with contradiction but the first chapter acts as a sort of warning,: Jesus cross is nothing if not a scandal, a failure, "God lets himself be pushed out of the world on to the cross' -D. Bonhoeffer.
We call the remembrance of his death, of God becoming a looser, weak and a fool, "Good" Friday. Christians are called to be holy fools so they can become wise. The crucifixion is meant to bring about a 'krisis', an upheaval and turbulence beyond the boundaries of rationality to open the soul. We'd like a sanitized version of the cross and a confinement of its meaning. But the path to the cross shows a very different path. Lent begins with the memory of our own mortality as represented by the ashes on Ash Wednesday, bringing up death in a world that tries to hide it. The temptations of Christ while he was alone in the wilderness, material power, spiritual and political power, indicate that the crucifixion was a complete surrender, an utter dismissal of the world's wisdom. And yet, even today...
"The Church is easily seduced by the kingdoms of the world so that it takes on their image, becomes an imperium, a power structure, whose institutional form is shaped by the prevailing secular hierarchical and bureaucratic models and not by the gospel. Power and stability come to matter more than truth. When power is is primary and the Church is seen as an end in itself, the road to some kind of fascism is wide open. "
Kennet Leech goes out of his way to point out that there is a lot that can go wrong even among believers. While emphasizing that a suffering Jesus is not a negotiation but the central tenet of Christian belief, he reminds the reader that suffering and self-sacrifice per se are neither to be sought nor a guarantee of a higher spiritual life and in most cases it simply becomes resentment and bitterness. But when suffering comes as it inevitably will, the cross might open the path to a higher joy and all guilt died with Jesus in the cross.
"At the same time there is no shortage of "spirituality". But we are being offered spirituality as another product in the market. Much of it lacks grief, struggle, rage and passion, those features which are so central (...) to the spirituality of the crucified God. Much contemporary spirituality lacks the imaginative encounter with poverty, pain and dereliction. It is a spirituality which has ceased to struggle and which therefore has ceased to be in Christ. So as our culture spawns numerous privatized spiritualities, thousands die in the cold."
I enjoyed the fact that Ken Leech points out the political and social nature of Jesus's life . The usual quotes that many use to deny the relevance of Jesus mission in politics and separate Jesus from their everyday mischief are John 18:36 where Jesus claims his Kingdom " is not of this world" and Margaret's Tatcher's favorite:"Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's" (Mark:12:13-17). But Jesus was very involved in the context of his time, most prominently with the heavy taxation imposed by Romans and the Temple alike. He ate with sinners and tax collectors, went around with a rabble of fishermen and Zealot sympathizers, he had the authorities worried he might actually succeed to topple them. Moreover, Leech makes it clear the Kingdom is central to te gospel and that being "not of this world" doesn't mean it is somewhere else but very much questioning this world we live in.
"Non-Christians often pay respect to the 'spirit of Jesus' as a spirit of goodwill, tolerance and kindness. This is to ignore a great deal in the accounts that suggests that, far from producing harmony, Jesus produced division, bringing not peace but a sword, setting members of families against one another, and leading to anger and social unrest. Yet we too easily emphasize reconciliation without seeing these other aspects ."
There's no reconciliation possible with the powers of darkness. Ken Leech will retake this theme of reconciliation a bit later to show that Jesus followers are taught not to fight the demons with their own weapons. Violence , revolutionary violence leads to some kind of fascism. To do violence so merely demolishes the demonic structures while the demons transfer to one's own address: fighting demons with their own methods is the best way to become demonic. The author does highlight that the message the the cross is a message of unwavering love. "(...) reconciliation is often used cheaply, glibly and superficially. Yet while the noun and the verb are uncommon in the New Testament, and, apart from Mathew 5:24, occur only in Paul's writings , the theme is a vital one. The dark night is the prelude to the light of the resurrection. The gulf and abyss that the cross exposes in all its horror is not the end; the end is liberation, the breaking down of the division , the overcoming of the gulf"
"Throughout history, the cross stands as a symbol of protest and revolt: protest against all claims, whether by religious or political power, to absolute unquestioning control over human minds and bodies; revolt against all systems and ideologies, all regimes and institutions which continue to push individuals and groups beyond the pale, outside the gate. The cross stands as as symbol of falsehood and demonic nature of all religions which sanctify established injustice, religions of the status quo, which continue to reproduce Calvaries all over the world . The cross is a crisis point for societies which seek to produce men and women who are trained to give unquestioning uncritical obedience to worldly powers and not Christ, a crisis point for all system of violence, systems that are bound to lead to reproduction of Calvaries great and small ; a crisis point for all who despise the weak and small people , and in so doing despise Christ."
The book proceeds touching on all the other aspects of the Crucifixion and the meaning of the cross. The radical message of love to all, including enemies; the importance of seeking salvation not in private but as a community; the utter misguided antisemitism of many Christian believers rooted on the tale of the martyrdom and death of Christ, the dark night of the soul and the final trampling over death.
August 7, 2021
Profound, moving , and mystically rich. It is short but should not be read quickly. It is meant to be savored. It would make a wonderful Lenten study, but even read in ordinary time it enriched my spirit in the way few other books have.
February 15, 2015
You know when you go to the movies and there's an enticing trailer that sucks you into venturing back to another film? But it turns out the trailer has spoilt the film for you by featuring all the best parts? That's what I felt like with this book.
I bought it several years back after the minister at the church I attend quoted several great bits from it. It sounded awesome! And it probably is. But I had already anticipated all the most impacting lines, so it was something of a letdown.
I therefore won't risk saying too much for fear of falling into the same trap. But yes - there's some really thought-provoking and challenging ideas here.
I bought it several years back after the minister at the church I attend quoted several great bits from it. It sounded awesome! And it probably is. But I had already anticipated all the most impacting lines, so it was something of a letdown.
I therefore won't risk saying too much for fear of falling into the same trap. But yes - there's some really thought-provoking and challenging ideas here.
May 9, 2007
Must read-1
Kept attention-3
Meaningful-3
Kept attention-3
Meaningful-3
February 28, 2015
re-reading for Lent
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews