ABSTRACT
In this contribution, the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in earliest Christianity is investigated by focusing on 1 Peter, which is often considered to be an exegetical stepchild, so to speak. New perspectives from social identity theory permit us to approach 1 Peter in ways that make explicit what is in fact already implicit in the text and its social dynamics. This contribution will critically examine 1 Peter through the novel lens of social identity and self‐categorization theory to illustrate the manner in which 1 Peter exemplifies what Miroslav Volf correctly referred to as ‘soft difference’, providing a new way of looking at the dynamics involved in inclusion, exclusion, but also drawing and transcending boundaries in early Christianity.
