Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look, and an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

One of the top Christian worldview stories of 2025 is the ongoing worsening situation for Christians in the nation of Nigeria.

Now, at the end of October, President Trump designated Nigeria a country of particular concern.

He also called on members of Congress to offer recommendations about combating the persecution there.

Also, the State Department put Nigeria back on its persecution watch list. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

threatened Nigerian officials with financial penalties, visa bans, and aid cuts if steps were not taken to curb anti-Christian violence and meet U.S. counterterrorism standards there.

And all of this, which happened at the end of what was the worst year on record for Christian persecution in Nigeria, came as an answer to prayers and an answer to

actions that were taken.

For example, I joined 32 faith leaders earlier this year in a letter to the president, which

called for that special designation.

President Trump even threatened intervention in a post on social media saying, quote,

I'm 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, end quote. Well, the question now is

whether or not the Nigerian government will indeed take meaningful steps to rein in the radical Islamic groups that are responsible for the increasing violence there.

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, which was reported by Open Doors for 2024,

and one which accounts for a staggering 80% of faith-related murders around the world.

The violence in Nigeria is driven by jihadists from radical Islamic groups, Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa province, and especially

since 2009, militant Fulani herdsmen. Christians have been explicitly targeted with violence,

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