By John Stonestreet, Op-ed contributor Sunday, December 21, 2025Chris Hondros/Getty Images
One of the top Christian worldview stories of 2025 is the ongoing, worsening situation for Christians in the nation of Nigeria.
At the end of October, President Trump designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern. He also called on members of Congress to offer recommendations on combating the persecution. This led the State Department to put Nigeria back on a persecution watchlist. Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened Nigerian officials with financial penalties, visa bans, and aid cuts if steps are not taken to curb anti-Christian violence and meet U.S. counter-terrorism standards.
All of this, which happened at the end of the worst year on record for Christian persecution, came as an answer to prayers and action. For example, I joined 32 faith leaders earlier this year to sign a letter to the president, which called for the special designation. President Trump even threatened intervention in a post on social media. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”
The question is whether the Nigerian government will now take meaningful steps to rein in the radical Islamic groups responsible for the increasing violence. Since 2014, according to Open Doors USA, Nigeria has been the most dangerous nation in the world to be a Christian, and 2025 has been, by far, the worst year on record. Over 7,000 Nigerian Christians were killed in just the first seven months of 2025, a number twice that reported by Open Doors for 2024, and which accounts for a staggering 80% of faith-related murders.
The violence in Nigeria is driven by jihadists from radical Islamic groups Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, and, since 2009, militant Fulani herdsmen. Christians have been explicitly targeted with violence, including beheadings and church bombings. Millions have fled sub-Saharan Africa as religious refugees. The violence has led Open Doors to warn of an impending “Islamization” of the nation.
The Nigerian government has blamed the violence on land disputes between herdsmen and farmers. The Biden Administration blamed the land dispute on climate change. These ridiculous explanations ignore the common elements of the conflict, namely that the persecutors are always Muslim, and the victims are always Christian.
While Western media has largely ignored one of the most significant human rights crises of our day, other voices have been loud and clear. In a speech before the UN General Assembly on September 23, President Trump said to world leaders, “Let us protect religious liberty, including for the most persecuted religion on the planet today — it’s called Christianity.”
Dr. Anthony Bradley asked in an X post earlier this year, “Where is the ‘Free Nigeria Campaign’ and why are the free Palestine protestors also not passionately protesting Muslims in Nigeria?” Even avowed atheist and liberal Bill Maher recently questioned the lack of global interest on his show Real Time:
“This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza. They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country! [The corporate media isn’t covering it] because the Jews aren’t involved. That’s why.”
Fourteen years ago, in his book The Next Christendom, Phillip Jenkins predicted that the center of global Christianity would move from the West to the global South, particularly Africa and Asia. He specifically identified Nigeria as a likely epicenter of the “next Christendom,” due to the size of its Christian population. It is not coincidental that Nigeria is now at the epicenter of Muslim resistance and violence.
Christians around the world must continue to appeal to Heaven on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. We must pray that God would strengthen them, and that the Gospel would go forward, even impacting the hearts of those who are persecuting believers for their faith in Jesus Christ. We must also continue to ask our government leaders to increase the pressure on Nigerian government officials and demand accountability. The excuses and inaction have enabled militants to operate with impunity, and the rest of the world to ignore these atrocities for too long.
Originally published at BreakPoint.
John Stonestreet serves as president of the Colson Center, equipping Christians to live with clarity, confidence, and courage in today’s cultural moment. A sought-after speaker and author on faith, culture, theology, worldview, education, and apologetics, he has co-authored five books, including A Practical Guide to Culture, A Student’s Guide to Culture, and Restoring All Things. John hosts Breakpoint, the nationally syndicated commentary founded by Chuck Colson, and The Point, a daily one-minute feature on worldview and cultural issues. Previously, he held leadership roles at Summit Ministries and taught biblical studies at Bryan College (TN). He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his wife, Sarah, and their four children.
