As Organizations Make a Stand Against ‘Hate Group’ Designations, Dr. Alex McFarland Debuts New Book ‘Stand Strong in Your Faith’—No Matter What the Cost

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Several conservative Christian groups have stood up to defend themselves against false designations and inaccurate inclusion on a “hate group” list from the widely discredited Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

Despite its own reliability issues, mainstream media and the liberal left use the SPLC as a resource to undermine Christian and conservative organizations that have nothing to do with hate, says author, religion and culture expert, and national radio host Dr. Alex McFarland (www.AlexMcFarland.com).

McFarland hosts the daily program “Exploring the Word” on American Family Radio, a division of the American Family Association, which is included on the “hate group” list along with other pro-family, Bible-believing, pro-natural law organizations such as the Family Research Council, D. James Kennedy Ministries, Alliance Defending Freedom and the Liberty Counsel.

“Assigning the moniker of a ‘hate group’ to these longstanding ministries that have equipped and empowered the faithful for decades is not only wrong, it’s damaging to society,” McFarland said. “These organizations have stood up for the biblical definition of marriage and God’s design for gender. How that translates to hate of any kind is baffling. Unfortunately, hate groups in today’s society do exist, but living your life and running an organization on biblical tenets does not equate hate.”

D. James Kennedy Ministries has now filed a lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center for wrongful inclusion on the “hate group” list. The Family Research Council (FRC) defended the legal action in a statement, with Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, former U.S. Army Delta Force commander and FRC executive vice president, remarking: “The SPLC is an organization that is an attack dog of the Left, they are not a neutral arbiter that is calling balls and strikes. They are on the field playing, pushing an agenda, and anyone who opposes them is slandered and slapped with a hate label. … This is wrong. It’s not the American way. The SPLC is inciting hatred against Christians, which has already led to violence. It needs to stop.”

FRC knows firsthand the damaging effects of the SPLC’s own hate mongering. Five years ago this month, Floyd Corkins entered FRC headquarters in Washington, D.C., and shot a building manager with the intent to do much worse. In court documents, Corkins said he chose FRC “as his target after finding it listed as an anti-gay group on the website of the Southern Poverty Law Center” and had planned to “kill as many as possible,” CNN reported at the time of Corkins’ hearing. In his statement last week, Boykin added that James Hodgkinson, who gunned down House Majority Whip Steve Scalise earlier this summer, was a “Facebook fan” of the SPLC.

Along the lines of standing up for beliefs, no matter the cost, McFarland recently debuted his newest book, co-authored with apologist and evangelist Jason Jimenez, called “Stand Strong in Your Faith: Live What You Believe with Confidence and Passion.” The guide provides Christians with insight and encouragement to keep the faith during the toughest times of life. “Stand Strong in Your Faith,” released earlier this summer, is available from AlexMcFarland.com.

In another of his new books, “Abandoned Faith: Why Millennials Are Walking Away and How You Can Lead Them Home,” also co-authored with Jimenez, McFarland explores why millennials are leaving the church, instructs how those who love millennials can bring them back, and offers the hope of Christ to parents, especially as they seek to understand what propels their adult children as they begin to come into their own.

View the media page for Alex McFarland here. For more information on Dr. Alex McFarland, visit www.AlexMcFarland.com or follow him on Facebook or on Twitter @AlexMcFarland.

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