In a concerning development reported by the Family Research Council (FRC), a Christian nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., incidents of hostility against churches in the United States have shown a dramatic increase. According to the FRC’s latest annual Hostility Against Churches report, 2023 witnessed 436 hostile actions directed towards churches, marking a significant rise from the previous years. This figure not only doubles the incidents recorded in 2022 but also represents an eightfold increase from the numbers tallied in 2018.
The FRC’s comprehensive analysis, which utilized public data sources to track these incidents, has documented 915 acts of hostility over the last six years. The majority of these incidents involved vandalism, but the report also highlights more severe forms of aggression, including gun-related incidents, arson, bomb threats, and other acts of intimidation and violence against church properties and congregations.
A detailed breakdown from the period spanning January 2018 to November 2023 reveals a troubling trend: at least 709 occurrences of vandalism, 135 cases of arson or attempted arson, 22 gun-related incidents, 32 bomb threats, and 61 other incidents, which range from assaults and threats to disruptions of worship services. In some instances, multiple forms of hostility were reported simultaneously, further indicating the severity and multifaceted nature of these attacks.
The surge in these hostile incidents against churches is interpreted by the FRC as indicative of a broader societal issue—a growing disregard for religious spaces and Christian beliefs, particularly those intersecting with contentious political and social issues. This trend is seen as part of a larger pattern of increasing secularism and antagonism towards religious principles, especially those held by the Christian community.
FRC President Tony Perkins has drawn parallels between the rising persecution of Christians globally and the escalating hostility towards churches within the United States, suggesting that domestic government policies may be contributing to this environment. Perkins specifically criticizes the current administration’s approach towards religious freedom and moral absolutes, suggesting that these policies may be fostering an atmosphere of intolerance and aggression towards religious institutions.
The report’s findings have sparked discussions about the motivations behind these acts of hostility, with many remaining unknown. However, the impact of these incidents is clear, serving as a form of religious intimidation and signaling a troubling message that churches, and by extension their congregations, are unwelcome and disrespected within their own communities.
This escalating pattern of hostility against religious institutions, as documented by the FRC, calls for a renewed commitment to the principles of religious freedom and respect for all places of worship. It underscores the importance of addressing the underlying causes of religious intolerance and ensuring that churches, along with all other religious communities, can safely and freely practice their faith without fear of violence or persecution.