Not Just Nashville: Attacks Against Churches Nearly Triple So Far in 2023

Last week's mass murder of six people at a church-run Christian school constitutes 2023's deadliest act of violence against churches, which have increased nearly three times this year compared to last year, a new report from Family Research Council finds. The number of anti-church attacks in 2022 had already tripled over four years, a previous report found.

In all, assailants attacked churches 69 times in the first three months of 2023, compared with 24 such acts during the same period last year, a 288% increase. The rising tempo of anti-Christian assaults--which includes arsons, bomb threats, vandalism, and sacrilege--has affected places of worship in 29 states. The motives behind such desecration run the gamut from pro-abortion activism or controversies over transgender ideology to apparently senseless acts of destruction.

"American churches are increasingly bearing the brunt of anger and aggression, whether that's from political or other motivations," the report's author--Arielle Del Turco, assistant director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council--told The Washington Stand. "This contributes to an environment of hostility toward Christianity." READ MORE