Pagans of the first century viewed Christians as killjoys...

We're studying 1 Peter 4:1-6 in our Bible Study tonight and there's a brilliant piece of commentary by Karen Jobes on this passage that is worthwhile fodder for reflection:

“Pagans of the first century viewed Christians as killjoys who lived gloomy lives devoid of pleasure... The pleasures from which Christians of the first century typically abstained were the popular forms of Roman entertainment: the theater with its risqué performances, the chariot races, and the gladiatorial fights with their blood and gore. Christian lifestyle also condemned the ‘pleasures’ of an indulgent temper, sex outside marriage, drinking, slander, lying, covetousness, and theft. These attitudes toward contemporary Roman customs and morals, combined with the Christians’ refusal to burn incense to the emperor – a gesture of civic gratitude intended to assure the well-being of the empire – earned Christians the reputation of being haters of humanity and traitors to the Roman way of life.” ...
“Peter encourages his readers to continue to abstain from the things that society deems acceptable, even though by their abstinence they condemn such conduct and thereby possibly incur the anger of those who indulge in such things. As [Paul J.] Achtemeier points out, ‘It is a problem that will recur whenever Christians are forced by their faith to oppose cultural values widely held in the secular world within which they live.’” (Karen Jobes, 1 Peter, p. 262)