Christian Teen Ruthlessly Bullied by Popular YouTuber Because She loves Jesus
04-12-2018
You’d be forgiven for never having heard of YouTuber Cinnamon Toast Ken. According to YouTube.Wikia, he’s risen to internet fame by uploading gaming videos. He has also (somehow) managed to garner over 3 million followers on Twitter, despite posting some despicable cyberbullying videos, including one mocking a teen girl because of her love for Jesus.
In one video titled, “Crazy Girl Obsessed With Jesus,” Ken relentlessly picks on Christian YouTuber Emma Mae Jenkins, mocking her appearance and scoffing at her religious convictions.
Endure the painfully unfunny 11-minute clip and you will come away wondering why anyone would subscribe to viewing such crass, insensitive and uninspired content. Despite this, however, YouTube has yet to shut it down. (CBN News decided against posting the video).
In one of her video blogs, Emma Mae Jenkins explained her morning routine, which consists of prayer and worship.
“I do this because in Mark 1:35, it says that ‘Jesus, waking up very early in the morning, he went to a very quiet place, and there he prayed.’ Jesus lived in such a way that we are called to live as he did,” she says, which incidentally is some pretty solid advice.
Cinnamon Toast Ken later posted his own commentary on the video, saying that he agrees we should live like Jesus before immediately contradicting himself and mocking faith.
“It’s true. Someone find me a cross,” he joked. “I think I’m almost at the age where I need to be crucified.”
Then Ken and his friends got personal, joking about Emma’s physical appearance.
“Not to hate on Emma, but the first thing she needs to ask Jesus for is some eyebrows,” Ken snarled, as the group burst out in hysterical laughter.
Then, an even more ridiculous comment is made as some sort of pacifying qualifier to the assault they are about to make on this young girl:
“I live in the deep south,” he said. “Through extension and things, we are religious ourselves.”
If that is true, it makes this utterly pointless and cruel attack even more disturbing. While none of us our perfect, it should not be difficult to avoid an unprovoked personal assault on a perfectly innocent bystander. Without any self-awareness, they continued with the bombardment of abuse, as the group scoffs at Jenkins and mocks the sincerity of her faith.
Many were rightly angered by the unfunny commentary. Pastor Jarrid Wilson is among those who have urged YouTube to take action over the video.
“I cannot believe this. Absolutely ridiculous!” one person replied to Wilson’s tweet. “She is an amazing woman!! She is stronger than ever!! Her love for God is inspiring!!” another added.
Jenkins, who has produced several videos encouraging teens in their walk with Christ, is no stranger to being bullied for her zealous devotion to the Lord. Pastor Wilson recently invited Emma onto his podcast to discuss the issue of cyberbullying and gain some insight from her about how she keeps being faithful to Jesus despite such fierce opposition.
“God will place you where he entrusts you with His name. I fully believe that I have been given the opportunity to be living in a generation where we have Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat – all these ways we have to pour into people we are not even with.”
Emma then reeled off some brilliant scripture – Acts 20:24 – “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News.”
“If I use my social media just to post pictures of myself and see how many likes I get, then I’ve completely missed the point,” Emma added. “Amen Emma!” Jarrid agreed.
When Wilson quizzed Jenkins about the type of comments she receives on her social media platforms, Emma said it was very much “a wide range” of thing – both positive and negative.
“I’ve read that my singing makes their ears bleed. I’ve read that they wish that I was dead,” she explained. “That my Jesus is fake and that I’m not using my platform wisely. I’ve been told that I’m ugly. I’ve heard words that I didn’t even know those words existed.”
She continued, “if I didn’t get made fun of and persecuted for my faith then I would be questioning my walk. Jesus said that if others hate you, if the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. That comes with the beauty of being his because he is different.”
With that being said, Emma admitted that the horrendous online abuse can, at times, be incredibly difficult to deal with as a teenager.
“I am human and words are powerful,” Emma explained. “You either have the power to speak life or speak death over someone. To receive those words that I’m not pretty, and that I’m not here for a reason, or that I need to not live anymore. Especially being a girl too with insecurities. Satan will definitely use that and highlight it. I will sometimes take a second look in the mirror.”
So how does she battle against these atrocious words? With the living word of God. “That’s when it becomes so important that I have God’s word so deeply ingrained in who I am – because that’s not true,” she explained. “It is so crucial to have God’s word everywhere. Have it engraved upon your heart.”
Emma reminds us that such vile words are from the “the enemy that is the Father of lies,” but that she is “a daughter of the father of truth.”
“It’s knowing, OK, this is who I am. I am not defined by what the world says, I am defined by what God’s word says.”
For every lie that is spoken about her, Emma arms herself with a relevant scripture. Then, she boldly declares this truth over her life, knowing that it speaks louder than hateful words that have been recklessly typed out on Instagram.
“Emma would school me in a scripture memorization game,” laughed Wilson. “This girl is a walking Bible.”
We should encourage Emma for her courage, her boldness and her awesome witness in the face of such despicable persecution. Make sure you add this sweet young woman of faith to your prayers!
And make sure to reach out to YouTube and request this cyberbullying video be taken down immediately. Remove the video and take a stand against anti-religious harassment.
