Over the weekend, three separate churches were set on fire. In Florida, a man drove into Queen of Peace Catholic Church, took a can of gasoline, and set the church ablaze with Christians inside. No injuries were reported. Authorities have told news outlets the perpetrator would not be named in print. The man told detectives what he did was “awesome” and he was a “king”, “on a mission”. 250-year-old San Gabriel Mission Church went up in flames in California, as did Faith Tabernacle Pentecostal Church in Alabama. For both fires, the cause was unclear.
Two statues of the Virgin Mary were desecrated in Massachusetts and New York. At Saint Peter’s Church in Boston, law enforcement found plastic flowers in the hands of the hands of the statue, which had been set ablaze, damaging the face and upper body. The suspect is still unknown. In Brooklyn, security footage captured a man approaching a 100-year-old statue of the Virgin Mary and desecrating it with spray paint. No arrests have been made.
Black Lives Matter has physically and verbally assaulted Christian services in New York. Protesters broke into a Troy church service, screaming profanity at a pastor who was giving the Christian gospel message. Outside of the church, mobs attacked members of the church as they attempted to leave.
California Governor Gavin Newsome announced the complete shutdown of churches and places of worship in the state. Citing health concerns and saying “the virus is not going away anytime soon”, he clamped down on every California indoor activity. As a result, Christians, who largely built the state and comprise the largest form of worship in California, will have their religious expression suppressed by the state. Pastors have already been arrested for having services during the first shutdown.
As we descend into a French Revolution-style sentiment in the country, there is increasing hostility toward Christianity. A raging hatred for moral order and tradition is boiling to the surface. Watch for the intensity to increase as we head into November. More churches burned, Christians attacked and symbols desecrated.
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