USSC Briefing Room | From Kirk to Grand Blanc: Is there a throughline in religious violence?

20 October 2025

Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy at the United States Studies Centre David Smith joined the podcast to discuss recent attacks on religious institutions in the United States.

Podcast by

Associate Professor David Smith

Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign PolicyUnited States Studies Centre (jointly appointed with the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney)

Mari Koeck

Director of Engagement and ImpactUnited States Studies Centre

Recently, a gunman killed four people and wounded eight at a Latter Day Saints (or Mormon) church in Michigan. President Trump described this as “yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America” – but there are distinct differences between this and other high-profile shootings.

How was this similar to or different from other attacks on religious institutions in America? What are the motivations behind these attacks? Is there a throughline between the assassination of Charlie Kirk and an attack on an LDS church in Michigan?

Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy at the United States Studies Centre David Smith joined the podcast to discuss these questions. He is one of Australia’s leading experts on religious persecution in America and is the author of Religious Persecution and Political Order in the United States.