The 3 - August 17, 2025

For years, there have been reports of violence against churches and ministries.  This especially became troubling in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court.  

Family Research Council has been tracking these violent incidents for a few years now, and its report on such occurrences during 2024 has just been released.  A Decision Magazine website article noted:

The 415 recorded cases are down slightly from the 483 cases in 2023 but significantly higher than the yearly totals recorded in 2018-2022.

Analyzing reports, media coverage and open-sourced documents containing key words such as “church threats,” “church vandalism” and “church arson,” the report, Hostility Against Churches in the United States, found that such incidents occurred across 383 churches. Most of the incidents fell under the category of vandalism (284) and arson (55). There were 14 bomb threats, 47 incidents categorized as “other,” and 28 gun-related incidents.

Tony Perkins, President of FRC, who is heard regularly on Faith Radio, had these words to say in response: "This report clearly shows religious freedom faces substantial threats here at home...The American woke Left has been intentional in spreading its hostility toward the Christian faith throughout every corner of America. We applaud the efforts of the Trump administration, but efforts must be taken at every level of government to protect and promote this fundamental human right. Christians must expect and demand more from their government leaders when it comes to prosecuting and preventing criminal acts targeting religious freedom.” 

President Trump has issued an Executive Order that addresses what has come to be known as "de-banking," and it is a practice that has affected Christian leaders like Sam Brownback and Nick Vujicic, as well as Christian ministries like Indigenous Advance Ministries, according to a CBN.com article from earlier this year.   The order stated: "...individuals, their businesses, and their families have been subjected to debanking on the basis of their political affiliations, religious beliefs or lawful business activities, and have suffered frozen payrolls, debt and crushing interest, and other significant harms to their livelihoods, reputations, and financial well-being.  Such practices are incompatible with a free society and the principle that the provision of banking services should be based on material, measurable, and justifiable risks." So, the White House has begun to take action.  And, banks have been responding.  Jeremy Tedesco, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Senior Vice President of Corporate Engagement commented on what an ADF website described as "Bank of America’s update to its Code of Conduct, which provides new protections against discriminatory debanking based on religion and political viewpoints or affiliations..."  He is quoted as saying, in part:

"...Bank of America is taking steps in the right direction to protect its customers from discrimination, but it has a long way to go to rebuild trust in the marketplace. We look forward to more banks following in the steps of JPMorgan Chase, and now Bank of America, as they come into compliance with President Trump’s recent executive order.” 

We are continuing to report to you about the rise of chemical abortion, where women use a series of pills in order to terminate the life of their unborn child.  But, if a woman changes her mind after the first dose, mifepristone, there is a possibility that the abortion can be reversed using the hormone, progesterone.  That's according to an article at The Daily Citizen, which reported on a key court ruling in favor of what is known as "abortion pill reversal," or APR.  The state of Colorado had banned the practice, but a women's clinic described as "pro-life," Bella Health, had filed a lawsuit against the implementation of the new state law, and received a positive ruling from a federal judge.  The article stated:

On August 1, 2025, a federal court delivered a decisive victory for religious freedom when it ruled in favor of a pro-life clinic that offers abortion pill reversal treatment.

In Bella Health and Wellness v. Weiser, a federal judge permanently blocked Colorado from enforcing its ban on abortion pill reversal treatment against Bella Health.

The ruling is significant because it defends the rights of women to change their minds after taking the first abortion pill, protects preborn babies, and upholds the religious freedom of medical providers to offer life-affirming care in a manner consistent with their deeply held religious beliefs.

The article went on to say:

In April 2023, the clinic, represented by Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, sued the state, arguing that the law violated their First Amendment right to freely exercise their religious beliefs.

As reported by the Daily Citizen, the court issued a preliminary injunction, in October 2023, to keep the state from enforcing the law against the clinic while litigation continued.

The Daily Citizen added: "Most recently, Judge Daniel D. Domenico, a federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump, agreed with Bella’s arguments and granted a permanent injunction protecting the clinic and its staff from prosecution as they continue to offer APR."  It also noted, "The court found that Colorados’s law was not neutral or generally applicable, meaning it unfairly singled out religious conduct for punishment, and that triggered strict scrutiny, the highest standard of constitutional review."