President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Feb. 7, 2025, to safeguard Second Amendment rights. The order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to review regulations employed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), previous administration White House gun policies, and firearm reclassifications that may have violated Americans’ US Constitutionally-protected right to bear arms.
The organization Global Christian Relief (GCR) has published its new annual report, titled Red List, spotlighting the 25 worst countries for Christian persecution across five categories of concern, including killings, building attacks, arrests, displacements, and abductions & assaults.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]
Africa remains the deadliest region for Christians, with Nigeria consistently being the most dangerous country for followers of Jesus in murders, abductions, and assaults. From November 2022 to November 2024, nearly 10,000 Christians were killed, primarily by Islamic extremist groups such as Boko Haram, Armed Fulani Herdsmen, and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP). Similar patterns emerge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mozambique, and Ethiopia, where numerous armed militant groups target Christians. Russia ranks 5th in killings, most of those occurring in a Muslim-majority area, and 4th in arrests, with the government targeting evangelical Christians.
While some people assume the concept of a church security/safety team is a modern idea to defend against criminals and terrorists, it actually extends back at least half-a-millennium, to the days of Christopher Columbus, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Middle Ages.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]
Under Pope Julius II, the Swiss Guard was founded January 22, 1506 to be the protector of the church and defender of the papacy.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security ]
Today’s Swiss Guard is equipped with modern small arms and members in plain clothes now accompany the pope on his travels abroad for his protection.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Inspiring Military Mottos ]
Its motto is “Fiercely and Faithfully.”
Violent religious persecution continues to increase around the world, with North Korea topping the annual World Watch List produced by Open Doors, which ranks the top 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme brutality. The intensity of cruelty has significantly increased this year, with approximately 380 million Christians (1 in 7) worldwide now experiencing high levels of persecution for their faith (an increase of 15 million in just one year).
[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]
[ Read the SemperVerus article of Bible verses from the book of Romans that quickly and simply present the Good News that is life through faith in Jesus Christ ]
Murdered for their faith were 4,476 Christians, Open Doors said in the report covering events in 2024.