I, too, have been in youth ministry for a number of years and I agree... no one ever mentioned we should be "soft". I have, however, in my experiences in various communities, noticed a trend in some circles toward "entertainment" more than development of young Christian "warriors", as this quote mentions. I suspect it is, perhaps, toward those youth ministers finding themselves ministering in such circles that this statement was targetted. As we all know, it is imperative that we raise a generation that isn't merely informed of Jesus Christ but rather a generation that is equipped to "take the baton" so to speak when the time comes for their generation to, in turn, equip the next.