His Apology defending the Christian faith contains one of the earliest and most eloquent pleas for religious liberty. He argued that the church was self-supporting and provided the most peaceful citizens to the state. The government should be protecting such citizens, not persecuting them. Christians were often perplexed by it. Should they flee to avoid persecution.
Men have time for nothing but fear and hope.
Therefore, it is clear that persecution, which works for the improvement of the servants of God, cannot be blamed on the Devil . Truth Not Custom Tertullian had a tenacious sense of the truth, and frequently railed against the church's conformity to the world and compromise with surrounding paganism. Tertullian believed the Christian's conscience should be sensitive to the idolatry associated with the gladiatorial shows, violent games, plays, literature, administration, and even business guilds. The spirit of Christianity, wrote Tertullian, is of meekness, peace, and purity, while the public shows and sporting events only excite the wild and furious passions of anger and lust. Licentious speech is condemned by God, and what a man should not say he should not hear.