(RNS) After a seven-week probe into whether seminary dean Ergun Caner exaggerated his dramatic conversion from militant Islam to evangelical Christianity, Liberty University announced Caner will remain on faculty, but no longer as dean.
The investigation, prompted by a growing coalition of skeptical Muslim and Christian bloggers, concluded Caner, 43, had converted from Islam as a teenager, but had fabricated or embellished “matters such as dates, names and places of residence” in public statements.
Caner made a name for himself after the 9/11 terror attacks by giving interviews and speeches about Islam and his conversion story. He and his brother Emir, who is president of Truett-McConnell College, a Baptist school in Georgia, co-authored a 2003 book, “Inside Islam: An Insider’s Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs.”
Since Caner became the first ex-Muslim to lead an evangelical seminary in 2005, enrollment at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary tripled during his tenure.
But his critics, bolstered by a May 3 report in Christianity Today, found major contradictions in his claims of growing up in Turkey, rather than Ohio, and involvement in “Islamic youth jihad” to commit terrorism.
“Dr. Caner has cooperated with the board committee and has apologized for the discrepancies and misstatements that led to this review,” according to the university’s statement.
Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, Va., was founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. Officials could not be reached Monday (June 28) to comment on who will become the school’s acting dean, and which subjects Caner will teach as a professor.
– Nicole Neroulias
,Copyright 2010 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted June 28, 2010 at 6:14 pm
It is a little surprising to me that Liberty didn’t check on this dude’s statement before they made him Dean. But they are doing the “Christian” thing and letting him stay on the faculty.
posted June 28, 2010 at 6:14 pm
I don’t know what he thought all that stuff had to do with serving Christ anyway.
posted June 28, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Serving Christ? Jerry Fallwell? I’d say the guy followed well in Fallwell’s footsteps and served himself by seeming to serve “Christ” for those not looking too closely.
posted June 28, 2010 at 8:36 pm
pagan lately many Christians get excited about Muslims converting and I think they unfortunately get so excited that they willing or unwillingly compromise. I can understand the thought of redeeming violently trained Muslim into what they imagine serene Christians. As we see here there could be in-between imagination and reality a dis-connect.
posted June 28, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Thanks for checking into the “Pagan Sister” “NNMNS” Self righteous finger pointing blog. If there is ANY issue you can believe that these two will chime in with their self-righteous little tid-bit of the day. They are experts at everything. Just ask them, they’ll be glad to tell you all about what ever the subject. They NEVER cease to impress themselves!!
posted June 28, 2010 at 10:59 pm
I understand why christains get excited by former Muslims converting to christianity. Usually, by a MUCH greater numbers, it is usually christians who convert to Islam. I guess these converts find more to the Quran than the usual anti-islamic will admit
posted June 29, 2010 at 9:31 am
Jerry Falwell would have “canned” Caner immediately! Once the idiot administration comes to its senses, he will be shown the door. In the meantime, I couldn’t imagine sitting at Caner’s stinking feet in one of his classes, unless it was, “How to lie and con your way to the top.”
posted June 29, 2010 at 11:19 am
Glenn…so glad you like my comments. Am just as much of an “expert” as you are, so enjoy. Freedom of expression/speech happens to be what this country is about as well as the blog you are expressing your opinion on. Part of the fun is getting comments like yours! Have a really great day! Hope to hear from you again.
)
BTW Glenn..you don’t have to read what I post…right?
posted June 29, 2010 at 10:52 pm
only if you have to lie to make a point then there is no point at all. Faith is a private thing the fact that you are trying to convince people of Islamic conversion show damaged practice of faith.
posted June 30, 2010 at 1:48 am
Doc is turning over in his grave. Why is this not surprising. It’s ok to lie and nothing will be done. Liberty is no longer a Christian College, they are just another college that rewards people who doesn’t tell the truth. But what else is new, other departments at the College lie and expands on the truth and nothing is done…………..guess you might as well send your children to a State College, at less you expect Liberals to lie!!!
posted June 30, 2010 at 1:12 pm
State colleges are probably cheaper financially too, Justile. A degree is a degree…no one worried about where I got mine…a state university. If one wants religion in college, there are usually bunches of churches in town, at least there was in the town my university was in. That way one has a choice of a liberal religion or a conservative one.
posted June 30, 2010 at 5:51 pm
The shame of it all is a degree is a degree, I know people with degrees that are totally inadequate I know counselors I wouldn’t trust to counsel a monkey. I know people in leadership positions that totally lack not only skills but ethics. I know a lady with a BA that is so uneducated it baffles the mind how she got her degree. Don’t get me started; lol.
posted June 30, 2010 at 8:01 pm
cknuck, there are folks who graduate from the most exclusive universities and colleges, religious or secular ones, who are worth nothing in the real world, and there are those who graduate from state colleges and universities who are worth gold in the real world. My BS in Elementary Ed. for a state university served me well. I never had a problem getting a job. So it really doesn’t matter where a degree comes from…the difference is the person who holds the degree.
posted June 30, 2010 at 8:10 pm
no argument there pagan as a matter of fact it is what I was trying to say. On that note I know a gentleman who created a program in the inner-city, he had no formidable education probably high school at best. Well the program did so well up until the government got a hold of it and then the requirement for his position took a masters degree. the problem was no masters holder could connect or do the job as well as the founder. I know this is unusual but there was no provision for this occurrence so the program became ineffective soon after the founder left.
posted June 30, 2010 at 8:16 pm
some places do have life-skill credits, I am a recipient of such credits and I thank God, for with my position I can use my skills to help people although I would regardless because I also have my own organization which is highly effective in the inner-city unlike the man in my example I would never sell out either of my organizations to the government.
posted June 30, 2010 at 10:33 pm
“…..unlike the man in my example I would never sell out either of my organizations to the government.” cknuck
I totally believe you, cknuck.
No problem with life-skill credits!
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