Christian ministry files defamation lawsuit against SPLC over 'hate group' designation

D. James Kennedy Ministries (DJKM), a Florida-based Christian media group, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for listing the ministry alongside neo-Nazis and white supremacists on its "hate map."

On Tuesday, the ministry filed a lawsuit in federal court in Alabama, alleging that the SPLC engaged in deceptive practices by wrongly asserting that some organizations breed or fuel hate because of their religious stance on social issues such as same-sex marriage.

"It's completely disingenuous to tag D. James Kennedy Ministries as a hate group alongside the KKK and neo-Nazis," John Rabe, a spokesman for the ministry, told Fox News.

"We desire all people, with no exceptions, to receive the love of Christ and his forgiveness and healing. We unequivocally condemn violence, and we hate no one," he added.

The lawsuit also names Amazon.com, AmazonSmile Foundation and GuideStar USA for republishing SPLC's "hate list." Amazon has reportedly excluded the ministry and other conservative groups from its charitable-giving program based on the list.

Guidestar USA, a charity tracker, drew controversy earlier this year when it included and then removed SPLC's "hate group" designations from its listings.

SPLC President Richard Cohen called the lawsuit filed by DJKM "meritless," arguing that the ministry was designated as a hate group because it "maligns the entire LGBT community, portraying it as perverted and a threat to the nation."

Last month, DJKM released a DVD titled "Profits of Hate," criticizing SPLC as a group that has morphed from a legitimate civil-rights group to "slandering and demonizing Christian and conservative organizations."

The documentary details how SPLC's designations led to violence against Christian organizations. On Aug. 12, 2012, LGBT activist Floyd Lee Corkins went to the headquarters of the pro-family organization Family Research Council (FRC) in Washington D.C. and shot a security guard. The activist reportedly targeted the FRC's employees but he was thwarted by the building manager Leo Johnson.

Corkins, who is now serving a 25-year-jail sentence, later told the FBI that he found FRC through SPLC's list of anti-gay groups.

"It's ridiculous for the SPLC to falsely tag evangelical Christian ministries as 'hate groups' simply for upholding the 2,000-year-old Christian consensus on marriage and sexuality," said Rabe.

"It's nothing more than an attempt to bulldoze over those who disagree with them, and it has a chilling effect on the free exercise of religion in a nation built on that. We decided not to let their falsehoods stand," he added.

Jerry Boykin, vice president of the FRC, applauded DJKM for its "effort to expose the truth" about the SPLC.

Other organizations and individuals are also feeling pressure from being included on SPLC's list. Last month, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) demanded a retraction from ABC News after the network labeled the conservative organization as a "hate group," citing the SPLC.

British Muslim activist Maajid Nawaz recently stated on Bill Maher's television show that he is considering suing the left-wing organization for including him on its list of "anti-Muslim extremists."

The SPLC argued that Nawaz supports intelligence-gathering efforts, in the name of fighting terrorism, that ensnare people who have not been proven to pose a threat to national security.

Nawaz, a former Islamist who says that many liberals overlook the growth of jihadism, believes that the organization has made him a target for violence by putting him on the list.