Work hard not to offend. Work harder to not be offended. Watch your mind. Learn your ways and correct them. Offending people on purpose is wrong, but being offended when you can choose not to be is worse.
Defend yourself, but also extend people grace!!
My biggest problem with Christians focusing on getting people saved for the afterlife is how often it results in arrested development. It falls prey to the same mistake Adam & Eve made: assuming we can skip the hard work of growing up & just go straight to the finish line.