Articles with spiritual fitness

Staggering Increase of Violence Against Christians: World Watch List

North Korea retains its hold as the most brutal and dangerous country for Christians, but 14 Sub-Saharan African countries (ranked in order: #2–Somalia, #4–Sudan, #5–Eritrea, #7–Nigeria, #15–Mali, #16–Burkina Faso, #21–Mauritania, #22–Central African Republic, #26–Niger, #29–Congo DR (DRC), #37–Cameroon, #39–Mozambique, #43–Comoros, and #48–Chad) comprise the global epicenter of violence against followers of Jesus, according to this year’s World Watch List, Open Doors’ annual compilation of the 50 most perilous countries for believers in Christ.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS ]

The 14 countries constitute more than 721 million people, nearly half of whom identify as Christian; one of every 8 Christians in the world lives in those countries. Only three countries out of the 50 on the List have the maximum score for violence. All three of them are sub-Saharan: Sudan, Nigeria, and Mali.

Nigeria, Rwanda, China, Mozambique, and Mexico Are the Top Persecutors of Christians: GCR Red List

The organization Global Christian Relief (GCR) has published its annual report for 2026, titled Red List, revealing the top 5 worst countries for Christian persecution across five categories of concern: most arrests & sentences, assaults & abductions, killings, displacements, and destruction of buildings.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Nigeria Is Deadliest Country for Christians: GCR Red List 2025 ]

New this year is the accompanying prayer guide, which shows exactly how you can pray for the concerns and believers in each country.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS ]

Nigeria leads in the category of killings, with 590 documented and verified killings (as recorded in the Violent Incidents Database) November 2023 to October 2025, according to GCR, out of the total number of 1,972 killings in the top five countries in the category. Following Nigeria are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 447 killings, Ethiopia with 177 killings, Russia with 167 killings, and Mozambique with 94.

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US President Donald Trump added Nigeria to the US State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern in 2025, guilty of egregious and unchecked religious persecution, based on the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act.

US Dept. of War Elevating Chaplaincy Corps Back to Spiritual Significance


US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke via a Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) video Dec. 16, 2025 to announce immediate changes to directives given to military chaplains. He said George Washington’s original intent of establishing chaplains was that they were “to be the spiritual and moral backbone of our nation’s forces.” But he said that role has been degraded due to “an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism,” which has minimized chaplains to the role of “therapists, instead of ministers.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, US Military Academy Prayers ]

Watch the video and read the transcript below:

Bible Use Is on the Rise Again in America, According to State of the Bible 2025

Research published by American Bible Society in its 15th annual State of the Bible report for 2025 shows a renewed interest in Scripture in today’s culture, marked by a notable uptick in Scripture engagement and Bible use—driven especially by men and young adults.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of the BIBLE ]

What You’ll Find in the Report:

   The Bible in America Today
After a decline, Bible use is on the rise again in America. Unexpected groups are leading this resurgence, engaging with Scripture in new ways.