Abiding Truth Ministries
Abiding Truth Ministries is a U.S. Christian nonprofit advocacy organization founded by Scott Lively that promotes conservative religious views on marriage and family and has opposed LGBT rights.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Abiding Truth Ministries (ATM) is a United States Christian nonprofit organization founded by Scott Lively in Temecula, California, in 1997. The organization has been based in Springfield, Massachusetts, since 2008, and has promoted a conservative, Bible-centered view of marriage and family through public education, training, advocacy, and financial support. Its public-facing work has been conducted in part through the Defend the Family website, which describes the ministry's purpose as promoting and defending a biblical understanding of marriage and family. The website has also offered books and other educational resources associated with Lively's views. The ministry is closely associated with Lively, an author, attorney, activist, and former state director of the California branch of the American Family Association. Lively has been involved in the ex-gay movement and has advocated strongly against LGBT rights. Public descriptions of ATM frequently focus on his leadership and on the organization's role in disseminating arguments that portray homosexuality as a social and political threat. Lively co-authored The Pink Swastika with Kevin E. Abrams in 1995, a book whose claims about homosexuality and Nazism have been challenged by historians and criticized for selective treatment of historical evidence. ATM's network and activities have also been connected with organizations including NARTH, the American Family Association, Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, the Parents' Rights Coalition, the Family Research Institute, the Foundation for In-The-Closet Americans, and Mission: America. The ministry's international profile grew through Lively's speaking and organizing activities. In 2009, he represented ATM at a Kampala seminar focused on homosexuality and what organizers called the homosexual agenda. His statements there framed LGBT rights as a threat to African society and linked homosexuality to issues including divorce, child abuse, HIV/AIDS, and the Rwandan genocide. Lively was subsequently associated with proposed anti-gay legislation in Uganda, including measures that contemplated severe criminal penalties for same-sex conduct. ATM has also been connected with Watchmen on the Walls, an organization based in Riga, Latvia. In the United States, the Southern Poverty Law Center has listed Abiding Truth Ministries as an anti-LGBT hate group, a designation that reflects the content and impact of the organization's advocacy rather than a legal finding. In 2012, Sexual Minorities Uganda sued Lively and related parties in the United States, alleging that his activities and assistance in promoting anti-LGBT legislation amounted to persecution. The case was dismissed in 2017 on jurisdictional grounds, without a merits determination of the underlying allegations. Public accounts have described Lively as moderating or reframing some of his rhetoric in later years while retaining opposition to LGBT rights and shifting some emphasis toward helping people he characterized as socially disadvantaged. The organization's current operating status, leadership beyond its founder, and present level of activity are not established by the supplied reference material.
History
Abiding Truth Ministries was established by Scott Lively in Temecula, California, in 1997. It developed as a Christian nonprofit advocacy organization centered on marriage, family, sexuality, and religiously grounded social policy. By 2008, the ministry was based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Its public communications have been carried through the Defend the Family website, whose stated mission is to promote and defend a biblical view of marriage and family by means of education, training, and funding. The organization has been closely identified with Lively's writing and activism. Lively is an author, attorney, and activist who has opposed LGBT rights and participated in the ex-gay movement. He also served previously as the California state director of the American Family Association. Through ATM and related activity, Lively promoted arguments that homosexuality represented a major threat to religious, social, and political life. The ministry contributed to or supported a range of conservative and anti-LGBT organizations, including NARTH, the American Family Association, Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, the Parents' Rights Coalition, the Family Research Institute, the Foundation for In-The-Closet Americans, and Mission: America. A significant part of the organization's reputation derives from Lively's international work. In 2009, he spoke for ATM at a Kampala seminar concerning homosexuality and the alleged homosexual agenda. His presentation described LGBT advocacy as a threat to African societies and associated it with divorce, child abuse, HIV/AIDS, and other social problems. He also implied a connection between homosexuality and the Rwandan genocide. Lively was later linked to proposed Ugandan legislation that would have imposed extremely severe penalties for some same-sex conduct. ATM was additionally associated with Watchmen on the Walls, a group based in Riga, Latvia. Lively's earlier publication, The Pink Swastika, co-written with Kevin E. Abrams in 1995, became another source of controversy surrounding the ministry's ideological environment. The book argues that homosexuals were central to the creation of Nazism and to Nazi atrocities. Historians have disputed those claims and criticized the work's use and selection of evidence. Historical records show that gay men and lesbians were persecuted and sent to concentration camps under Nazi Germany, a context that critics say the book misrepresents. In the United States, the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated Abiding Truth Ministries as an anti-LGBT hate group. In 2012, Sexual Minorities Uganda brought a lawsuit against Lively and associated parties, alleging that his work promoting anti-LGBT policies in Uganda amounted to persecution. The case was dismissed in 2017 on jurisdictional grounds rather than after a trial on the factual merits. Later descriptions characterized Lively as toning down some of his public rhetoric and placing greater emphasis on helping disadvantaged people while continuing to oppose LGBT rights. The current status, finances, staffing, and program scale of Abiding Truth Ministries are not established in the supplied sources.
- 2017
Lawsuit dismissed
[1]The Sexual Minorities Uganda case was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds.
- 2012
Sexual Minorities Uganda lawsuit
[1]Sexual Minorities Uganda sued Lively and related parties over alleged involvement in anti-LGBT persecution and legislation in Uganda.
- 2009
Kampala speaking engagement
[1]Scott Lively spoke on ATM's behalf at a Kampala seminar opposing homosexuality and LGBT advocacy.
- 2008
Headquarters move to Springfield
[1]The organization became based in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- 1997
Abiding Truth Ministries founded
[1]Scott Lively founded the ministry in Temecula, California, as a Christian organization focused on marriage, family, and sexuality-related advocacy.
Products and positioning
A conservative Christian advocacy ministry presenting itself as a defender of biblical marriage and family values; widely identified by civil-rights monitoring organizations with anti-LGBT activism.
Educational and advocacy materials
Defend the Family resources
The ministry's public website presents educational resources intended to support its religiously based positions on marriage, family, and sexuality. The resource area has included books associated with Scott Lively and related advocacy content. The supplied sources do not establish a complete catalog or current availability.
Nonprofit services · 1997
Advocacy, education, and training programs
Abiding Truth Ministries describes its work in terms of education, training, funding, and public advocacy for a biblical view of marriage and family. Its activities have included speaking engagements and support for organizations sharing conservative Christian or anti-LGBT positions.
Controversies
2012
Sexual Minorities Uganda lawsuit
Sexual Minorities Uganda alleged that Lively's activities in Uganda contributed to persecution of LGBT people. The case was dismissed in 2017 on jurisdictional grounds, without a merits ruling on the allegations.
2009
International anti-LGBT advocacy in Uganda
Lively's Kampala speech and his reported connection to proposed Ugandan anti-gay legislation generated substantial criticism because the measures contemplated extreme criminal penalties for same-sex conduct.
1995
Controversy over The Pink Swastika
Scott Lively and Kevin E. Abrams co-authored The Pink Swastika, which attributes a central role in Nazism and Nazi atrocities to homosexuals. Historians have challenged the book's claims and criticized its selective use of evidence, while historical records document Nazi persecution of gay men and lesbians.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Kampala seminar on homosexuality and the alleged homosexual agenda
Uganda
Scott Lively spoke on behalf of Abiding Truth Ministries at a Kampala event that presented homosexuality and LGBT advocacy as threats to African society. The event became part of the public record concerning international anti-LGBT campaigning associated with Lively.
Outcome. The appearance increased scrutiny of Lively and ATM's international advocacy and was later cited in litigation and reporting about Uganda's proposed anti-LGBT legislation.
Brand decisions
2009
Expand international advocacy in UgandaStrategyBackground
ATM sought to communicate its anti-LGBT position beyond the United States through Scott Lively's participation in a Kampala seminar.
Action taken
Lively spoke on the ministry's behalf and promoted arguments against homosexuality and LGBT advocacy.
Aftermath
The activity became associated with later controversy over Uganda's proposed anti-LGBT legislation and subsequent litigation.
2008
Relocate operations to SpringfieldStrategyBackground
The ministry moved its base from Temecula, California, to Springfield, Massachusetts, where Scott Lively continued associated advocacy work.
Action taken
Abiding Truth Ministries established its base in Springfield.
Aftermath
Springfield became the organization's identified headquarters in subsequent descriptions.
Recent events
- 2008
Ministry relocates its base to Springfield[1]
Other
Abiding Truth Ministries became based in Springfield, Massachusetts, where its activities were subsequently associated with Scott Lively's local and national advocacy work.
- 1997
Abiding Truth Ministries founded in California[1]
Other
Scott Lively founded Abiding Truth Ministries in Temecula, California, establishing the organization as a Christian marriage-and-family advocacy ministry.
Sources2 sources
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