Crosstalk: August 23, 2017

Jim begins by contrasting two completely different people groups - for instance: Liberty Counsel and KKK. While many Crosstalk listeners could easily distinguish between these two organizations, a recently released list of "hate groups" from the Southern Poverty Law Center has tossed both of these organizations (and many others) together in a basket labeled, hate groups. Mat Staver (Liberty Counsel) joins Jim in this conversation to both acknowledge and refute his inclusion as a hate group (along with many other pro family organizations) by the SPLC.

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a political organization. With recent funding from Apple Inc. and others, Staver says they have become "big business" with intent to "destroy their adversaries." They themselves however have not had full reign in recent years. The SPLC has been removed from the FBI hate crimes resource list. Under President Obama, the SPLC received "a lot of open doors" but, have recently been "chastised by the Department of Justice for their rhetoric" says Staver. Rhetoric that has eroded many pro family companies, some even having their Paypal accounts closed. There are reports of both Paypal and Amazon prohibiting donations from going to those seen as "haters."

When asked the question "How far will this go?" Staver hints that there "may need to be some additional federal regulation in moving forward" and that much has changed since Liberty Counsel began back in 1989. Still many however are quick to label the SPLC back as a propaganda machine themselves - who like many true hate groups are part of a movement to create a "civil war against our values."

Staver says "We hate no one. Hate would be contrary to our Lord Jesus Christ and His teaching." Yet biblical values such as marriage (one man one woman) has been one of the issues that continues to set Liberty Counsel (and others) apart from those demanding their own way. While continuing to make his stand, Staver says "We've got to push back" and "we cannot let this go" even saying "we fought WWII to stop an ideology."

How to push back? Staver recommends seeing this SPLC list (and others like it) as "false propaganda." That all should support the very organizations standing for Truth, though labeled as haters; also to engage in and look for all legal and legislative avenues; to reach out to media outlets giving "the right side of the story" and also that Pastors need encourage their churches to engage their communities with biblical Truth. Crosstalk takes your calls.