On Wednesday Night, Jan 3^rd, we will begin our Winter Bible Study. This year’s study – authored by Dr. Bruce Frank, pastor of Biltmore Church in Asheville, NC – published by Lifeway – is titled “First Peter: Living as Strangers in a Secular World.”

First Peter is a letter written by the Apostle Peter to “the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” This Letter was written around A.D. 62-64. Peter was located in “Babylon” (probably a codename for Rome). Peter refers to his fellow Christians as “pilgrims of the dispersion” because they were being persecuted in Judea for their faith in Jesus Christ and were being forced to “disperse” to other parts of the world. Upon arrival in Gentile lands in Asia, they were being persecuted by people who worshipped other gods. The purpose of Peter’s letter is to encourage and educate them (and us) on how to live as “strangers in a secular world.”

While most of us have never been forced to move to a foreign land because of our faith, Christians in 21^st Century America also face the challenges of “living as strangers in a secular world.”  In barely one generation, the USA has moved from being a “Christian nation” to a secular nation. Our senior adults can remember a time when everyone in their small, close knit community identified as some denomination of Christian. Now with advances in transportation, communication, education, immigration, and globalization our communities consist of not only Christians, but adherents of other world religions and people who claim no religion. While we may not yet be experiencing overt persecution, we are living in a culture where Christianity is no longer considered popular and discussion of our faith is often restricted.

As we begin this study, please consider the following question:

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