Increase in violence against Christian organizations

In our November 2024 online seminar “Getting Ready for the Holidays” we talked about preparing the safety teams for the Christmas season. Since so many churches have other activities on their property, I felt we needed to make sure that safety was a part of every celebration happening on the campus.
 
I also talked about how mental health issues are going to be the next biggest threat to the churches. An essay by the Journal of Crime and Justice cited a study done by James Densley and Jillian Peterson of the Violence Prevention Project, “Murder in a time of crisis: a qualitative exploration of the 2020 homicide spike through offender interviews.” In this article, Densley and Peterson said that there was an unprecedented 30% increase in homicides in the United States since 2020, “the largest surge in over a century.” They attributed this recent increase to the “COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation, economic instability, and civil unrest.”
 
When the churches came together after the COVID-19 restrictions we warned safety teams of possible issues by those who lost a loved one, their business, or having a hard time with isolation. This was a hard time in this country and shutting down the churches was truly one of the worst things this country did and there are still people that have not gotten over it. Densley and Peterson confirmed what we were concerned about by stating in their findings that “The pandemic and subsequent civil unrest only intensified these challenges, creating an environment where mental health struggles, economic hardship, and the breakdown of routine escalated personal crises. For some, losing jobs, facing homelessness, or dealing with unaddressed mental health conditions triggered extreme reactions.”
 
Another look at mental health issues in America, Facts.net published a paper from the World Federation for Mental Health, “40 Facts about World Mental Health Day.” The World Federation for Mental Health “promotes mental well-being, reduces stigma, and advocates for better mental health services.” In this article, it states that:

1. Mental Illness in the US: In the United States, about 46.6 million adults experience mental illness, which is roughly one in five American adults.
2. Depression: Depression is the second most common mental illness, affecting 17.3 million American adults and nearly 2 million American children, as well as a total of 264 million people worldwide.
3. Impact of COVID-19: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues globally, leading to an unprecedented global mental health crisis.

Talking with my pastor friend Kevin Haggerty, who counsels people recovering from drug and alcohol abuse if it is true that during the Christmas season, we see more violence, suicides, and overdoses. I told him when I worked the streets during Christmas, it surprised me the violence we saw during the festive time of year. One Christmas I was involved in a street brawl and assisted in the arrest of a woman who set her house on fire and assaulted every police officer she could get close to. I saw apartments destroyed because someone’s feeling was hurt over the gifts they received for Christmas. Kevin told me that people overindulged during this time on drugs and alcohol, because it is a special occasion, or because of a tragedy during the year and they felt it was all right to relapse.
 
No sooner than we did the webinar I observed a newspaper article from White Settlement, Texas where a person suffering from mental health issues was arrested with multiple weapons and improvised exploding devices (IEDs) in his van. His target is a church. Since then, there have been multiple incidents where people with mental health issues targeted Christian organizations, not to disrupt services but to kill people.
 
Three more incidents (as I am writing this, a shooting has happened at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin) involving Christian facilities have happened over the past month where it appears subjects with mental health issues have either attempted to shoot someone in the church or tried to kill people at a live nativity event. On December 4th, while visiting Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo, California, a person with a history of mental health issues asked about enrolling his child into the school only to later produce a firearm and shoot two students and then committed suicide. During a December 8th church service in Suffolk, Virginia, a man tried to shoot a staff member. He was tackled by the pastor and safety team members before anyone was hurt. Then on December 11th, a man drove his vehicle on church property in Allen County, Indiana yelling he wanted to kill everyone there before police and church members were able to stop him from injuring anyone. The church was just finishing a live Christmas nativity event when the suspect arrived.
 
Looking at the incidents and seeing the reactions of the suspects after the arrest are clear signs of mental health issues. Looking deeper into these occurrences we really must ask the question of what is triggering these people to decide they need to kill people at churches or religious organizations during this Christmas season. If this is any sign of what safety teams may be facing as their churches hit full capacity during the Christmas services, we need to be ready.
 
Pastor Kevin Haggerty and I just did a Rumble video podcast talking about the church needing to be “Safe Places” for those who are angry or depressed. Angry or depressed at the way the election went, not understanding why God would take a loved one or just the way the world seems to be headed toward destruction. We, the church, need to be safe places for people to move away from all the craziness in this world and remember the real “reason for the season,” the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the peace He offers all of us. I am praying that churches across the country all have wonderful and peaceful Christmas services, but we, the safety team of the church, have to be watchful and proactive for what Satin may throw against us this Christmas season.
 
Have a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.
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