Focus on the Family’s Jim Daly rejects SPLC ‘hate group’ label: ‘This isn’t hate, it’s the love of Christ’

In a wide-ranging exclusive interrogation with Fox News Digital, Focus connected the Family President Jim Daly responded to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) caller determination to classify his enactment arsenic a "hate group," calling the statement "discouraging," "dangerous," and a reflection of "what’s incorrect with the civilization close now."

Focus connected the Family President Jim Daly defends the organization’s enactment arsenic loving and faith-driven, responding to its inclusion connected the SPLC’s "hate group" list. (Courtesy of Focus connected the Family)

"Southern Poverty Law Center made the determination successful immoderate benignant of criteria that they, and lone they know, and that is to enactment america connected the hatred list," Daly said. "I think, again, it exemplifies what's incorrect with the culture close now—that we can't person differing opinions connected things."

At the halfway of the SPLC’s contented is Focus’s content successful accepted marriage. Daly was direct: "Our Christian contented is matrimony betwixt 1 antheral and 1 woman, and that's what we judge and we judge we tin advocator for that."

While Daly acknowledged that nine is shifting, helium said Focus volition not wantonness its scriptural roots to fulfill taste trends. "For us, we can't relent connected changing what we believed to beryllium scriptural information for the existent spot of wherever the civilization is at."

The Focus connected the Family office successful Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Christian nonprofit, founded successful 1977, provides counseling, foster attraction resources, and pro-family advocacy. (Courtesy of Focus connected the Family)

The implications, Daly warned, are not conscionable reputational. 

He recalled the 2012 shooting astatine Family Research Council (FRC), different Christian nonprofit SPLC labeled arsenic hateful. A gunman entered the FRC bureau with the intent to kill, and was aboriginal quoted saying helium was inspired by the SPLC’s "hate map."

"He said… his information was aroused due to the fact that Family Research Council had been placed connected the SPLC hatred list," Daly said. "They are dancing connected precise unsafe territory erstwhile they enactment these labels out."

That information isn’t theoretical. According to Daly, Focus had protestors astatine its doorstep wrong 24 hours of the SPLC’s announcement.

"We had protesters harassing our employees coming into the doorway here… truthful we had to get and wage for other constabulary beingness connected our campus," Daly said. "It raises information for everybody. I don’t cognize if that’s their motivation, but it is simply a consequence."

But adjacent successful the look of hostility, Daly says Focus remains committed to "doing the enactment that the Lord has called america to do." That includes extended enactment successful foster attraction and gestation assets services.

"My woman and I some person been foster parents for 15 years," helium shared. "We enactment gestation assets centers with ultrasound machines."

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - JUNE 23: President of Focus connected the Family Jim Daly, center, has a laughter with Karen Pence and Vice President of the United States Mike Pence successful the Focus connected the Family Chapel for the Focus connected the Family's 40th day lawsuit June 23, 2017 successful Colorado Springs. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images) (Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

He besides pointed to Focus’s measurable impact. "Last twelvemonth we helped 140,000 couples get done a marital crisis, 540,000 couples to fortify their marriage," helium said. "That’s a bully thing."

And helium asked a pointed question to the SPLC directly: "Why would you spell aft an enactment doing that overmuch bully and statement america a hatred group? It just, it makes nary sense."

Daly was wide that the ngo isn’t astir governmental summation oregon civilization warfare bravado, but the gospel.

"This is not hate," Daly said. "This is the emotion of Christ trying to amusement radical God's plan for matrimony and parenting and people."

That message, however, is progressively misunderstood successful a civilization that Daly says punishes theological conviction. He referenced a gathering with the precocious Pastor Tim Keller and cheery rights activists successful New York City arsenic a model.

"Tim Keller said it truthful well. He said, ‘New York City works due to the fact that we don't spell retired of our mode to enactment our digit successful the different group's eye'," Daly recounted. "We request to judge wherever we're astatine unneurotic and past beryllium astatine the array of pluralism and say, however bash we coexist?"

He continued: "Creating a hatred database due to the fact that of your views, your theology, your ideology, conscionable isn't helpful."

Asked whether Focus planned a ineligible response, Daly said it’s nether superior consideration. "There has to beryllium a enactment wherever an enactment that creates a hatred database has to beryllium liable for that," helium said. "If we were to spell to court, I deliberation they would beryllium hard-pressed to triumph that defamation lawsuit."

Still, Daly struck a hopeful note. He said the biggest effect they’ve received wasn’t fearfulness oregon backing loss, but support.

"People that bash cognize us, radical that person experienced america helping them done a situation successful their matrimony oregon a situation with their teenager, they cognize us," Daly said. "This isn’t who you are, and they get it."

Above all, Daly urged believers to respond to taste hostility with character.

"Romans 2:4 says it’s God’s kindness that leads 1 to repentance—and I judge successful that," helium said. "You tin person the astir crusty idiosyncratic who hates retired for a crushed you whitethorn not adjacent know, and you commencement to dialog with them… and past you find a hurt, a symptom that occurred successful their life."

"We cognize truth. We cognize orthodoxy, the spoken word. We request much orthopraxy, the doing of the word," Daly said. "We could virtually hitch retired the foster attraction database if we conscionable got engaged—one household per church."

That vision, helium said, is what keeps him going. "Wouldn’t it beryllium bully if Fox News and the New York Times ran a header that said: ‘Christian Church wipes retired waiting foster attraction list’? I’m looking guardant to that headline. And that’s what I enactment for each day."