There is a difference between being called out for jerk behaviour and “being persecuted for the faith”.

I keep seeing Christians conflate these two things, then following it up by quoting Matthew 5:11 – “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” – as if that somehow justifies any actions they take.

Invoking the name of Jesus does not automatically sanctify whatever actions people do. If someone’s ministering to the poor because they want to follow Christ’s example, and someone else belittles them for doing so, Matthew 5:11 applies. If someone goes to a restaurant, treats the waitstaff terribly the entire meal, throws a gospel tract on the table instead of a tip, and the waitstaff calls them out for their rudeness, the diner isn’t “being persecuted for their faith”; they’re getting called out for being a dickhead. Matthew 5:11 does NOT apply there.

Just because a person is a Christian does mean that every action that person does is automatically good, or Christ-like. Just because a person is a Christian does not mean that every insult or pushback they receive is *because* they are a Christian.

It is indeed possible for people (who happen to be Christian) to be insulted and called out for jerk behaviour. When it happens, it doesn’t mean they’re being persecuted for acting like Christ; it means they’re being rightly called out for doing the opposite.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.