Global Christian Relief Red List 2025

Analysis 
 
Five Trends to Watch: How Religious Freedom Issues May Evolve in 2025 and Beyond
 
Trend #3 : Western Media Will Continue to Avoid Reporting on One of the Biggest Global Injustice Stories of Our Age
In the media, the global story of "faith under fire" remains mysterious even though in a smaller way, the persecution war is coming to the West. Major news outlets report the anti-Christian antics of jihadists in terms of climate change and ethnic strife -which are factors but not drivers. Meanwhile, Jimmy Lai and the role of faith in 45 people sentenced for their pro-democracy work in Hong Kong in November rarely rates a mention, even though faith is their deepest motivation. As one commentator put it bluntly, "It's like going to the Olympics and never mentioning athletics.
 
Christianity in particular - with the help of social media - remains chronically ghettoised as well as profoundly misunderstood. Yet the issue of the persecution of Christians will not stay in far off places. In fact, the Violent Incidents Database recorded 72 confirmed attacks on Christian churches and associated properties in the USA. These demonstrate a troubling variety of motivations and perpetrators, ranging from ideological pressure groups to individual citizens and unknown assailants, reflecting diverse forms of hostility toward religious institutions. Our report documents nine incidents attributed to ideological groups, such as pro-abortion activists targeting Catholic and other Christian churches with graffiti, vandalism and disruptive protests, often linked to politically charged events like abortion legislation.
 
Another eleven incidents involved individuals or small groups, often motivated by personal grievances or opportunistic acts, including arson, theft and desecration of religious objects.  Additionally, 32 attacks remain unattributed to specific perpetrators, including severe vandalism, arson and theft, such as the desecration of cemeteries, the destruction of religious statues and the targeting of churches during significant religious or political anniversaries. Together, these incidents highlight a multifaceted and persistent threat to religious freedom and the sanctity of sacred spaces in the United States, revealing deep societal tensions and the vulnerability of places of worship to ideological, personal, or random acts of violence.
 
The 2025 Global Christian Relief Red List. Washington, D.C.