On Easter Sunday morning (March 31, 2024), a trailer full of Bibles was set alight outside a church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Please pray for the congregation of Global Vision Bible Church, that the Lord will give them strength and comfort following the incident.
Despite the arson, Global Vision Bible Church held its Easter service later that morning [Image credit: Greg Locke]
According to the church’s pastor Greg Locke, “At 6:00am our security cameras caught a man dropping off a trailer in the middle of the intersection and blocking the road into our church. He then got out and set fire to an entire trailer full of Bibles right in front of our church.”
The identity of the perpetrator is currently unknown. Police are investigating the matter, and although they cannot provide any further details at this time, they have confirmed that the fire was set “intentionally.”
This is unfortunately just the latest incident in a rising trend against Christians and churches in the United States. In 2023 alone there were at least 436 attacks on churches – more than double the number reported in 2022. These included 315 instances of vandalism, 75 instances of arson, 10 gun-related incidents, 20 bomb threats and 37 other incidents. This was the second consecutive year where the number of reported incidents was more than twice as many as the previous year, and marks an 800% increase in the number of acts of hostility against churches since 2018.
Such acts serve as a reminder that Western society is not immune to Christian persecution. Jesus warns us that the world will hate us (John 15:18-20), so let us find strength in Him, and pray for all our brothers and sisters who have been subject to an attack because of their faith, that they will be encouraged and find peace in God’s presence.
