I just finished Peter Kreeft’s excellent little book, How to Win the Culture War and I highly recommend it. Here is a taste (and a nice addition to this post and this post by my friend Greg over at Doulos):
Perhaps the popular conception of saints is "nice," but real saints are not nice. They are warriors. They really bother people, so deeply that they are often martyred. If they don’t bother anybody, they are not saints. … The world thinks, rightly, that saints are masters of love and, wrongly, that love is nice. … Saints love true peace. They also hate false peace, peace based on lies. Saints hate violence against sinners. But they also hate tolerance of sin. Saints love sinners more, and sins less, than anyone else does. Both of these eccentricities puzzle people and often offend them.
In Jesus’ day, the first of these two things saints do – loving sinners – offended his enemies, for the fashion was then rather overcruel: a truth without peace. Today, the second of these two things saints do – hating sins – offends the enemies of Christ and his Church, for the fashion now is rather overkind: a peace without truth.
In Jesus’ day, those who loved sinners were accused of loving sins. Today, those who hate sins are accused of hating sinners. Anyone who speaks out against sodomy is accused of "homophobia." Soon, to speak against fornication or even adultery may be labeled sexophobia. Already, to speak out against abortion is called "divisive" and "judgemental."…
Saints are not nice. They are embroiled in controversy, necessarily, always. This is because saints are as devoted to truth as they are to love; they will not be false prophets who give the people what they want instead of what they need.