“Outsiders.” The first three centuries of the Church struggled in a Roman Empire that was suspicious and demeaning of Christianity. It saw Christians as atheists, denying the power of the gods. It saw Christians as antisocial—critical of the conventional culture. To Rome, the gospel threatened their way of life. Today, America increasingly places Christianity in a similar context. Christians are outsiders: living in the world but not of it. Peter writes his first letter to such outsiders. If our faith is to survive this generation, we must adopt Peter’s message and adapt to living on the outside.