One of the more interesting facts about 1 Peter is that the original readers of the letter were not suffering as a result of some formal governmental program of persecution; they were not being thrown to the lions, or burned in Nero's gardens. Instead, they were experiencing acute social ostracism as a result of being verbally abused (see 3.16; 4.4, 14).
Upon hearing this, many people, for whatever reason, become disappointed. There is a sense in which verbal abuse and social ostracism are a lesser, more benign form of suffering. I would argue that the exact opposite is actually true. But instead of trying to explain why, I will let this fine reflection from Luke Timothy Johnson do the talking:
Persecution and martyrdom, after all, have a certain clarity and comfort. Lines of allegiance are obvious. However painful the choice, it need be made only once. But scorn and contempt are slow-working acids that corrode individual and communal identity. Social alienation is not a trivial form of suffering. Persecution may bring death, but with meaning. Societal scorn can threaten meaning itself, which is a more subtle form of death. (L.T. Johnson, The Writings of the New Testament, 435; taken from J.Green, 1 Peter, 225)
The situation described in 1 Peter is the experience of Christians all over the world (though less common in the West), who more than being physically abused because of their faith in Jesus, suffer sustained, relentless battles with social alienation. First Peter has something to say to them, and I hope that my research will in some way make that message sound-out loud and clear.
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