‘Pagan’ is from the Latin word paganus, which was a word used to describe someone from the countryside. Because of the prevalence of folk religion in rural areas, the word ‘pagan’ came to mean someone who held to traditional beliefs in various deities, rather than the one true God (Isaiah 2:6, 1 Corinthians 10:20). In the Bible, it is used to refer to people who are not part of the people of God, who still worship the gods of their culture, and whose lives are characterised by ungodly behaviour. The early Christians were called to turn from the worship of idols and be distinct from the surrounding culture, leaving behind their old pagan lifestyle (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8). Peter tells us that this will have the effect of winning some of them over to Christ in turn (1 Peter 2:11-12).
