In 2025, over 380 million Christians have faced escalating persecution worldwide, with attacks from Syria to India highlighting tensions between faith and rising nationalist movements, according to research from OpenDoors. Christian nationalists in the U.S. and across the world view these events as a call to defend their faith against cultural decay which they believe is driven by a secular worldview and unchecked globalism.
In Syria, a June 2025 church bombing in Damascus marked a sad new milestone under the new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham regime, which enforces Islamic dress codes despite their claims of tolerance. In India, the Evangelical Fellowship recorded over 950 attacks on Christians in 2024, with Hindu nationalist policies fueling terrible anti-conversion laws and mob violence. These anti-Christian policies and attacks reflect a broader erosion of godly values when nations stray from biblical foundations.
Christianity Today’s August 2025 report detailed Bible smugglers risking their lives in high-risk nations, highlighting the global scale of persecution. One in seven Christians now face hostility from those who are not Christians. In Kyrgyzstan, laws promoting vague “cultural traditions” have led to many church closures which mirror trends in Central Asia where faith is stifled under nationalist pretexts.
Back to the Bible’s May 2025 study points out domestic threats, noting that secular ideologies like Marxism and technological distractions weaken Christian influence in the West. Christians point to these as evidence of a deliberate push to replace Biblical principles with moral relativism, citing issues like gender debates and declining church attendance. In Europe, immigration has started debates, with some Christian groups aligning with nationalist calls to preserve cultural identity against what they see as corrosive multiculturalism.
Despite the challenges, underground churches in countries like Iran and Indonesia continue to grow, showing resilience that Christians celebrate as proof of faith’s enduring power. Advocacy groups like Open Doors report increased efforts to support persecuted believers, including legal aid in India and
clandestine networks in Syria.
With 380 million Christians under threat, many Christians are urging for stronger policies to protect religious liberty and national identity rooted in the Christian faith. Christians warn that without action to counter secular and globalist influences, the cultural foundation of nations risks collapse, leaving Christians vulnerable to further persecution.
By Alex Stone for Populist Sentinel
