"Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."
- Luke 22:36 KJV
The Christian world faces an existential threat while encumbered by moral ambiguity, creeping secularism, and postmodern pacifism – creating a strategic failure of historic proportions. In Nigeria, the systematic extermination of Christians continues unabated. Churches are torched, pastors executed, and entire villages eradicated by the ancient scourge of Islam.
The perpetrators are not rogue actors. They are organized, well-armed, Islamist factions operating with impunity and little fear of retribution or repercussions. The Nigerian state is either unwilling or incapable of halting the bloodshed. And the West, paralyzed by moral relativism and diplomatic inertia, offers nothing but condolences and empty resolutions.
The Nigerian government is an accessory to this brutal crime. Estimates from a Nigerian human rights organization suggest that over 120,000 Christians have been killed in the country in recent years, 7,000 in the first two-thirds of 2025 alone. This is not a humanitarian crisis. It is a war of annihilation and Christendom must respond accordingly.
We must abandon the illusion that international institutions or compromised governments will intervene. They will not. In these types of situations, the United Nations issues statements, the U.S. State Department shuffles papers, and the church looks away. Meanwhile, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, and Fulani militias continue their campaign of terror, targeting Christians with precision and intent. The time for advocacy has passed, the time for deterrence has arrived.
Christendom must organize, fund, and deploy a private volunteer military force: proficient, disciplined, spiritually motivated, and strategically focused to defend Christian communities wherever the threat may be. We come not as conquerors or crusaders, but as liberators and guardians. We will not impose belief, but preserve life and faith.
This is not a radical idea. When the state forfeits its monopoly on force, when it cannot or will not protect its citizens, the moral right to self-defense transfers to those under threat. This is not vigilantism ... it is subsidiarity in action. It is natural spiritual law asserting itself when fabricated man's law collapses.
The unchecked slaughter of Nigerian Christians is not an isolated tragedy. It is a signal. A test. A proof of concept for jihadist movements across Africa and beyond. If they can erase Christian communities in Nigeria without consequence, they will replicate the model elsewhere. The arc of Christian vulnerability is expanding; we must hold the line and retake that which was taken and more.
This force must be professional, not performative. It must be composed of vetted volunteers – former military, law enforcement, and security professionals – operating under a clear mandate to protect Christian lives, harden soft targets, and disrupt genocidal operations. It must coordinate with local Christian militias, provide training and intelligence, and establish rapid response capabilities. It must be funded by the global Church, supported by private donors, and shielded by legal frameworks internationally.
Critics will cry “colonialism,” “militarism,” “extremism.” These are the same voices that stood idle during Rwanda, Sudan and Syria. Their moral authority is bankrupt, their globalist magic weak, and their objections are impotent and irrelevant. The motto and ethos should be that which Christ called James and John: "Boanerges," or Sons of Thunder. The mission is to keep Christians alive today and tomorrow.
This is not about empire. It is about endurance. It is about ensuring that the Body of Christ does not bleed in silence while the world looks away. It is about restoring the Church’s capacity to act, not just pray and mourn.
The West must rediscover its martial spine. Christendom must remember that it once stood as a bulwark against barbarism, not through sentiment, but through strength. Christian civilization endured because it was defended. Today, that defense must be revived not by states, but by the flock and the faithful.
This is not a call for indiscriminate violence. It is a call for disciplined force to stand between the innocent and the blade. It is a call to operationalize our values and to translate belief into action and theology into strategy. The Church is both a hospice and a citadel. And citadels are redoubts and fortresses meant to be held.
Let us act – not in fear, but in fidelity. Not in vengeance, but in vigilance. Let us reconstruct what the world is quick to deconstruct.
Brethren, heed this call and suit up in the armor of God, take up the shield of righteousness and wield the swift terrible sword of might so that we may be a shield for the persecuted, a deterrent to evil, a signal to the enemies of Christ that the age of impunity is over.
The time is now. The mission is clear. The only question is whether we will answer.
Troy Carico is a former infantry enlisted soldier (11B) and infantry officer with branch qualifications including counterintelligence (35E) and military intelligence (35D). He served with distinction in the U.S. Army for more than 22 years and is highly decorated and service-connected disabled. He also has prior service as a civilian intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency Great Skills Program and has served in numerous clandestine assignments throughout the world.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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