ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST: Attacks on U.S. Churches Have Increased 800% Since 2018

“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the Cross of Christ.” – Philippians 3:18

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” – Romans 3:18

BREITBART.com reports: Attacks on churches have increased nearly 800% in less than six years, indicating that “hostility against U.S. churches is not only on the rise but also accelerating,” a Family Research Council (FRC) report found.

Between 2018 and 2023, FRC identified 915 acts of hostility against churches in the United States by analyzing open-source documents, reports, and media outlets. In just the last year alone (between January and November of 2023), 436 acts of hostility against churches occurred, according to the report.

“This was more than double the number of incidents in all 12 months of 2022, which was 195. It also marked the second consecutive year that saw more than twice the number of incidents of the year before,” the report states. “There were at least 96 incidents in 2021, 55 in 2020, 83 in 2019, and 50 in 2018. Over the entire reporting period for this report, from 2018 to 2023, acts of hostility appear to have increased in frequency over time”

The report notes that the increase “could be due in part to increased public reporting on crimes against churches, resulting in more available data than in the past.”

By category, 315 attacks in 2023 were vandalisms, 75 were arson attacks or arson attempts, ten were gun-related, 20 were bomb threats, and 37 fell in the “other” category. 17 incidents fell into multiple categories, according to the report.

Between 2018 and 2023, there were at least 709 occurrences of vandalism, 135 arson attacks or attempts, 22 gun-related incidents, 32 bomb threats, and 61 other incidents (assault, threats, interruption of worship services, etc.). In 39 cases, multiple types of hostility occurred (e.g., vandalism and arson), the report states.

The incidents occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, although states with larger populations tended to report more incidents.

According to the FRC, the motives of most incidents are unknown, although many attacks had political overtones and several were overtly Satanic. At least 59 of the churches in the report were repeat victims with verifiable timeframes of the incidents, according to the FRC… (Continue reading)