The number of hostilities against the church will more than double in 2023, and a major new report says this data is due to a “marginalization” of Christianity’s core beliefs and a “loss of respectability and worship in society.” This suggests that it may be indicative of a “collapse of respect for places.”
The Family Research Council’s Hostility Against the Church report released this week found 436 acts of hostility against the Church from January to November 2023, compared to 195 in 2022. Attacks on churches have been on the rise for at least the last few years. data. In 2021, there were 96 people, in 2020, 55 people, in 2019, 83 people, and in 2018, 50 people.
The FRC first published a report on this issue in December 2022. Since then, the problem has only gotten worse.
“Although the motives for many of these incidents remain unclear, the increase in crimes against the church comes at a time when American culture appears increasingly hostile to Christianity,” the report said. states. “Criminal acts such as vandalism and the destruction of church property can be a sign of a breakdown in social respect and respect for a place of worship and religion, in this case the church and Christianity. They seem increasingly comfortable attacking church buildings by pointing to larger social issues that marginalize core Christian beliefs, such as high-profile political issues around sexuality. The attack may also be indicative of displeasure with religion in general.”
Examples of attacks on churches in 2023 include:
- Vandals broke into the Greater Tabernacle Worship Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, causing $15,000 worth of damage.
- An individual spray paints a monument to the unborn child at St. Rosalia Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Looters spray paint “Abortion is our human right” on the grounds of Second Baptist Church in Palermo, Maine.
The report said some of the attacks involved progressive churches, including vandals tearing down Pride flags on church grounds.
Ariel del Turco, director of the FRC’s Center for Religious Freedom and author of the report, said that while the motive for many acts may be unknown, “the impact is unmistakable: religious intimidation.”
“They are sending a message that the church is not needed in the community and generally not respected,” Del Turco said. “Our culture has an increasing contempt for Christianity and its core beliefs, and hostility against the Church may be a physical manifestation of that. Regardless of the motive for these crimes, no one must treat the church and all houses of worship with respect and affirm the importance of religious freedom to all Americans.”
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Michael Faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His story was published in Baptist Press. Christianity Today, Christian Poecent, of leaf chronicle, of toronto star and of knoxville news sentinel.
