NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
In the America of our childhood, churches were untouchable sites – sanctuaries of refuge, worship, community and peace. They were the one place where the noise of the world was silenced and respect took its rightful seat. They were the last places for anyone who thought they might need safety plans and emergency training. Today, those sacred walls are threatened, not just by theory, but by hard and documented facts. The data brings an unpleasant reality: houses of worship are targeted with persistence, sharpness and deadly intent.
During the last 25 years, approximately 380 incidents of violence in religious institutions have killed approximately 490 people and injured hundreds. These attacks are not limited to troubled areas or high crime areas. They explode in quiet Sunday services, in rural churches and urban parishes alike. Evil was seen where grandmothers prayed, where children sang, and where families gathered in faith.
These are not abstract statistics. They are real people, real churches and real communities – forever scarred. Several recent tragedies are stark reminders of how vulnerable houses of worship have become.
The deadliest attack on an American house of worship in the past decade took place in November 2017, at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A gunman opened fire on Sunday services, killing 26 people and wounding 22.
FAITH, LIBERTY AND FIGHTING A PROGRESSIVE SOCIETY
Christina Osborn and her children Alexander Osborn and Bella Araiza visit the memorial for the shooting victims at Sutherland Springs Baptist Church on Nov. 12, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. (AP/Eric Gay)
A year later, in October 2018 at the Tree of Life church in Pittsburgh, Penn., worshipers were once again directed simply because of their faith. Eleven people were killed when they gathered to pray and socialize.
Recently, in August 2025 at the Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, violence attacked a place dedicated to children and learning. A gunman attacked a church community, killing two young students and wounding 21 others.
A few weeks later, in September 2025 in Grand Blanc Township, Mich., worshipers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were attacked in another shocking incident. The attacker crashed a car into the church building during Sunday services, set it on fire, and opened fire on the congregation. The attack left four people dead and eight injured, turning a peaceful day of worship into chaos and misery.
PASTORS WARN OF ‘COOLING EFFECT’ AFTER ANTI-ICE AGITATORS STORM MINNESOTA CHURCH SERVICE
These are only a few examples among hundreds. They show the sad truth: no sect, no region and no society is immune.
The pattern is negligible. Acts of violence against houses of worship have occurred in more than 30 states, crossing sectarian and geographic lines. No church is too quiet, too humble, or too far off the cultural radar to be considered untouchable.
Violence in churches may occur less frequently than other crimes, but frequency is not the point. The result is that. When violence strikes a house of worship, the damage is catastrophic and personal. These are not unknown properties. They are sanctuaries full of families, children, and elders who think, logically, they are safe.
GUNS, ARSONS AND EXCLUSIONS: THE TRAIL OF GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA
Attacking a church is not just a crime. It is an attack on the very idea that holy ground still exists in America.
This trend did not just happen. It reflects a broader cultural breakdown – a society increasingly indifferent to, and sometimes openly hostile to, faith and culture. In many corners of society, disrespect for the sacred ends up being a license for the profane. Words create climate, and climate ultimately produces actions.
The deadliest attack on an American house of worship in the past decade took place in November 2017, at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A gunman opened fire on Sunday services, killing 26 people and wounding 22.
The end is inevitable. The comforting mantra of “it can’t happen here” is no longer tenable. Churches need protection, not just prayers and speeches, but practical, responsible security measures that recognize the world as it is rather than before.
This is not a call to panic. This is a call for clarity. Admitting that evil exists is not confusion; it’s common sense. And evil, when it strikes, does not look for strong targets. It is aimed at the most vulnerable – families in the pews, children attending Sunday school and the faithful bowing in prayer.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE FOX NEWS
Churches should be active guardians of their flocks, not bystanders. This is bigger than a Psalm or a sermon. This is about the American soul.
Worshipers leave the sanctuary during an attack at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Metro Detroit Crime News)
Just as schools prepare for modern threats, churches should implement limited security, establish trained security teams, coordinate with law enforcement, and practice emergency response. Security should be as deliberate as a sermon and as disciplined as a choir. Preparation is stewardship.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
When the places where we pray, where we teach our children, where we sing our hymns are under siege, the question is no longer about the safety of the church, it is about the character of a nation that still promotes freedom.
This is our time to wake up, think clearly, and act boldly. Not just to protect churches, but to protect the idea that Americans can worship openly without fear. That view is not optional. It’s basic.
Erin Mersino is the vice president and head of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals for Faith and Freedom Advocates.
