Propoganda Warfare Against the Early Church

1 Peter 2:12

Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.

Joan Jett sings a song entitled “I Don’t Give a D**n About My Bad Reputation”.  It is the context and culture of a rock star.  Peter has a similar message, but from a very different point of view.  His audience has been ‘maligned as evildoers’.  In the wider context of the passage, this 'evildoing' seems to have sexual overtones. 

But while Joan Jett is reflecting musically on the context of the rock culture, Peter is trying to address a campaign of misinformation against his audience. 

The “Jesus movement” is splitting from Judaism.  And it is not simply disappearing into the historical vortex of failed religions.  It is causing enough of a stir that it is becoming a threat to the Jewish mainstream, or at least perceived as a threat.  At this point, the followers of Jesus had no political power or influence.  God was their power to be a threat-and God will lead them to dominate the empire.

At work here is a fundamental lesson of propaganda warfare.  If you cannot attack their ideas, attack their character.  If they seem to be doing good things, attack their motives.  Do whatever you can to undercut their ability to function in polite society.  Sounds like politics as usual, doesn't it?

It is not that Peter doesn't give a...hoot...about their bad reputation.  Ultimately, he knows that they are in God's hands, not those of the people. 

Behave Yourselves! Even If You Are Already Behaved... Answering Rumors

1 Peter 2:12

Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.

So we have just come off a verse where Peter tells his readers to abstain from the desires of the flesh.  The reason is developed here.  They are to “conduct themselves honorably”.  There is no declaration that they have been acting dishonorably, but rather it is being implied, they are being accused of acting in a ‘dishonorable’ way. 

Why is there is a need to speak of issues of conduct among the Gentiles?  This is a personal letter that Peter is circulating to these disciples.  He speaks to the issue because it exists among the Christian communities that he helped to establish. 

This seems to be a fascinating moment in the early development of the church.  Beginning in the synagogue, it will eventually be pushed out.  From a new Jewish sect, it will become the dominant faith of the empire.  That will come through Gentiles joining, not Jews.  There just aren’t enough Jews.

It seems that the Jews are pushing out the followers of Jesus and bad mouthing them among the dominant Gentile culture so that they will have no place to go but into trouble.  Peter's words here are an attempt to counteract those attacks, and we will see that developed in this verse.