This makes me happy. Often you hear about the pressure from the blogosphere having an impact on the political spectrum, but the Christian “sub-culture” is a little more insulated. So this is big news for us in this “sub-culture.” I first brought this up last year on my older blog December 8th, 2009 — BREAKING NEWS (@ Religio-Political At Least) — Ergun Caner, President of Liberty University, Lying? As well as on March 12th, 2010 — A New Video On Ergun Caner Lies — When Will Liberty University Wise Up?!? Just Because A Muslim Is Pointing This Out Doesn’t Mean Its Not True. I was one of the earlier blogs to catch this story, but the real credit goes to the larger blogs and people who veraciously followed this story. I found my information out via LiveLeak and then through Mirele’s Miscellany’s post (dated August 1st, 2009) Ergun Caner’s Lies Catch Up To Him, Part 1
One such site is the Ministry of Reconciliation, and it moved up the chain of larger blogs until apologists themselves took notice, like Alpha & Omega Ministries (James White). I was glad to be a small part in this larger cog. Good debate took place on this subject all over the Net… many Christians thought it was done with a spirit of malice (see the more recent defense of Caner at Christianity Today [oooops] and click out to James White’s response to it from my post: James White Responds to Liberty University and Christianity Today). It was not, it was done in the spirit of truth. So it is with joy — joy for truth triumphing over fabrications — I post this story dated June 25th, 2010.
LU won’t renew Caner’s contract as dean of seminary
Liberty University said Friday that Ergun Caner would no longer be dean of its seminary, following an investigation into some of his claims about being raised as a Muslim.
Caner has signed a contract to be a member of the seminary’s faculty next year, the university said in a statement Friday afternoon.
Four members of Liberty’s Board of Trustees who conducted the investigation found that “Dr. Caner has made factual statements that are self-contradictory,” the university said.
The panel, however, basically supported Caner’s testimony of being a former Muslim who converted to Christianity.
The contradictions came in “matters such as dates, names and places of residence,” the LU statement said.
Although LU didn’t provide any more details about the discrepancies, Caner said in several speaking engagements in 2001 and later that he was raised in Turkey before coming to the United States as a teenager.
He also said he was trained in Islamic jihad, a term associated with terrorist activity, according to recordings made in 2001 of his comments at First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., and Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.
However, his parents’ divorce papers, on file in a Columbus, Ohio, courthouse, indicated the family moved from Stockholm, Sweden, to the U.S. when Caner was about 4 years old, and continued to live in the Columbus area.
Caner’s father was a Muslim who sought to raise his children in the Islamic faith, although he had only part-time custody after the divorce, the documents indicate.
“Dr. Caner has cooperated with the board committee and has apologized for the discrepancies and misstatements that led to this review,” the LU statement said….
…(read more)…
