‘Acts of hostility’: Attacks on Christian churches ‘at some of the highest rates seen in years’

In a move that was significant for its unique content, the White House recently released an executive order titled, “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias,” which included the statement, “Hostility and vandalism against Christian churches and places of worship surged, with the number of such identified acts in 2023 exceeding by more than eight times the number from 2018. Catholic churches and institutions have been aggressively targeted with hundreds of acts of hostility, violence, and vandalism.”

The fact that such an order was issued, “shows that even the federal government has taken notice of the growing trend of hostility against U.S. churches,” according to a new report from the Family Research Council.

The organization’s Center for Religious Liberty said in its “Hostility against churches in the United States” that, “The free exercise of religion has always been an essential component of American society and is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution as a basic right. Attempts to prevent religious exercise through threats or violence should be soundly condemned by anyone who values the First Amendment.”

The FRC’s Washington Stand noted the “hostility” against Christian churches in the U.S. remains at unparalleled levels.

In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has cited one state, Colorado, for its open “hostility” to Christianity, in that state’s demand that government control the thoughts and beliefs of individuals. In that situation it was the state’s demand that Christians violate their faith and promoted the LGBT ideologies.

The Stand confirmed the FRC reviews of violence “reveal an ongoing trend in America in which vandalism, gun violence, and overall hostility against houses of worship remain at some of the highest rates seen in years.”

The annual report noted:

“The previous six years (2018-2023) featured an increase in hostile acts against U.S. churches. FRC identified 50 incidents in 2018, 83 in 2019, 55 in 2020, and 98 in 2021. The total number of incidents in 2023 (485) was more than double the number identified in 2022 (198).”

And, “In 2024, the number of incidents declined slightly to 415. However, this total from a single 12-month span is nearly equal to the findings from FRC’s very first report (420), which covered 57 months.”

California had the most expressions of hate with 40, followed by Pennsylvania with 29, Florida and New York with 25, Texas with 23 and Ohio with 19.

There were 284 instances of vandalism, 55 of arson, 14 bomb threats, and 47 “other.”

The FRC said it has confirmed 1,384 “acts of hostility” against U.S. churches since January 2018.

“It’s important to remember that any act of hostility can create significant financial and emotional stress for the affected church, regardless of the motive. Such is the case for the congregants of North Peoria Church of Christ in Oklahoma when their air conditioning units were stolen. The incident resulted in $100,000 worth of damages. Another event at First Christian Church in Brenham, Texas, required significant repairs after an unknown culprit shattered over 15 of its windows with rocks and bricks,” the report said.

According to the Stand, the hostility comes in the national atmosphere of an increasingly unchurched population, where Christianity is fading in influence and respect.

“Regular church attendance has decreased by 12% in the last 20 years alone. This societal apathy may be a key element that, at the very least, decreases the stigma and outrage caused by such acts of violence, or worse, fuels anti-Christian sentiment,” the report said.

“We applaud the efforts of the Trump administration,” said FRC President Tony Perkins, “but efforts must be taken at every level of government to protect and promote this fundamental human right.”

The FRC explained accessing open-source documents, reports and media to calculate the number of acts against churches.

“We looked at incidents of vandalism (including intentional destruction of property, defacement of property, burglary, and ransacking), arson (including attempts), gun-related incidents (occurring on church property or targeting the church or its members), and bomb threats (both real and false). Other aggressive acts targeting churches or their property that did not fall under the aforementioned categories (including physical assault, disruption of church services, and general threats of harm) were categorized as ‘other,’” it said.

Its first such report in 2022 found 420 incidents between January 2018 and September 2022.

The year 2023 marked “a record high” for such hostility with 485 incidents, more than double the total from 2022.

During 2024 the numbers “leveled off” with 415.

That year, hostile acts against churches were found in 43 states, with California leading with 40 cases.

The year’s costs included 284 instances of vandalism, 55 incidents of arson, 29 run-related situations, 14 reported bomb threats and dozens of “other,” including one church staff member attacked by an assailant with a hammer.

The total for the year, however, “may not represent the full scope of hostility against churches, as many cases likely went unreported to law enforcement or unpublished by news outlets or other publicly available sources.”