Fr. Alexander Men
Often what passes for Orthodoxy or another Christian confession is simply natural religiosity which, in its own right, is a kind of opium of the people. It functions as a sort of spiritual anesthetic, it helps a person adjust to his surrounding world, over which one can hang the slogan: ‘Blessed is the one who believes that it is cozy in the world.’ This is all wrong! …Your God is a consuming fire and not a warm hearth, and he is calling you to a place where all sorts of cold winds are blowing, so that what you imagine does not exist. You adapted and developed a completely different teaching to suit your own human needs. You transformed Christianity into a mediocre, popular religion. …Christianity can be authentic and it can be false. The false form is always more convenient. It always suits us better, which is why contemporary religious life is often characterized by a churchly falsehood when people prefer that which is convenient, calm and pleasant, conforms to their own ideas, consoles them, and which they enjoy. It is not at all to this that the Lord called us when he said ‘the gate is narrow’ and ‘the way is narrow.’ Again and again we need to understand that this Spirit is not warmth, but a fire. It is a fire.
Taken from the blog: Salt of the Earth
Milk & Honey 
Spectacular! I have to find more writings from this man.
By the way, would you mind if I post this in its entirety?
Hi Man in the World,
I do not mind at all, go right ahead!
Mary
Father Alexander Men – a very controversial figure in Russian Orthodoxy. So controversial that no official mention of it (from the official church) you will not hear.
Present your quote is good, but I’m afraid the Europeans and Americans will be difficult to understand the context in which these things are spoken. Although he speaks not only about Orthodoxy, but also about other Christian denominations, if you do not know the realities of the Russian Orthodox Church, especially the Soviet period, it is difficult to understand the meaning of what was said. At Me, I think so.
Memory Eternal!!! Thank you Fr. Men’ for your faitful testimony!!!
Lovingly, Mary Lona