7/3/2025 United States (International Christian Concern) — A trend of churches being attacked throughout the United States appears to be emerging.

On April 24, a Texas woman, identified as Natasha Marie O’Dell, pleaded guilty to intentionally setting fire to Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church (SLLC) in Snohomish County, Washington, on Aug. 25, 2023. 

The blaze destroyed much of the church, and damage to the property was placed at $3.2 million. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), O’Dell admitted to telling “various acquaintances that she was angry about churches and specifically with SLLC. Later, she told another acquaintance that she planned to burn a nearby church.” 

An Arizona man, identified as Zimnako Salah, was found guilty of a hate crime on April 3, 2025, after he targeted Christian churches with bomb threats. Salah intentionally attempted to intimidate Christians because of their faith, according to a special finding from a federal jury. 

After visiting four churches in Arizona, California, and Colorado, Salah left backpacks at two of them to cause fear among congregants. Although there were no bombs in the packs, improvised explosive device (IED) components were found in Salah’s storage unit. The man had also consumed on social media violent videos of the Islamic State group (ISIS) killing people. 

Michele Beckwith, acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said Salah purposefully targeted Christians. 

“[Salah’s] actions were designed to threaten and intimidate the congregation because he disagreed with their religious beliefs,” Beckwith stated. 

On June 18, Rui Jiang of Fairfax, Virginia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for an attempted mass shooting at Park Valley Church in Virginia on Sept. 23, 2023. After Jiang posted disturbing content online, including him burning a Bible and threatening the church, police were alerted. The church’s security also became concerned.  

On the morning of the intended shooting, church security stopped Jiang just before Prince William County police officers arrived to investigate. According to the DOJ, “Jiang was armed with a semiautomatic handgun, two magazines of ammunition, and two knives. He [also] had additional ammunition, knives, and a canister of bear spray in his nearby car.” 

U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia stated that Jiang went to “a church during a religious service armed with the intent to murder innocent parishioners.” 

Jiang’s motives appear to be a mental health issue. According to the Associated Press, Jiang “had recently joined the church but indicated he was mad at God and at men for blocking him from having romantic relationships with women.” 

On June 22, 2025, Brian Browning attempted a mass shooting at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, but was stopped before he could harm anyone. Church security shot and killed the would-be attacker before he could reach the inside of the facility.  

According to the Detroit Free Press, the man “was carrying several weapons, including an assault-style rifle, more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.” 

Browning’s motive remains to be uncovered, though it’s been speculated that he was suffering from mental health issues. Browning’s mother is a member of the church, and Browning had attended services a few times in the past year, according to the Wayne Police Department. 

In February, President Donald Trump formed a task force, called “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias.” In a press release about its formation, Trump stated that anti-Christian acts, such as “hostility and vandalism against Christian churches and places of worship,” had surged between 2018 and 2023. 

Trump continued, saying that “the number of such identified acts in 2023 exceed[ed] by more than eight times the number from 2018.” 

The Family Research Council, in February 2024, released a report stating that “American culture appears increasingly hostile to Christianity.” 

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