ERGUN CANER CALLED AS PROVOST AND VICE PRESIDENT OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AT ARLINGTON BAPTIST COLLEGE
Looking for a school that puts as much emphasis on integrity as atheists put on consistency? Head to Arlington Baptist College where their new Provost and Vice President of Academic affairs will train you in resume-padding, story-(untruth)-telling and repenting-without-repenting!
Perhaps they'll have him teach classes in Arabic or even Turkish...
UPDATE - A commenter noted that I've not really provided much background info on this, and I agree. So here's some helpful links.
Who is Ergun Caner?
Ergun Caner Materials
Ergun Caner Removed as Dean of Liberty University
UPDATE
Lest folks misunderstand the intent of my post... I don't mean Ergun any ill will. Coming out with and living with the truth can be a difficult process. I know that this has cost him his previous job and perhaps other opportunities. Arlington is not a big school, a far cry from Liberty, it is surely not as financially lucrative a position as his prior ones.
That said, he's still in a position of leadership at a Christian school. Can his prior record of untruth be reconciled with the duties and stature required of a shepherd over so many young Christians? This brings up a much larger issue. Is there a real Biblical case for reinstating someone to such a position (teacher, leader, pastor) after this kind of deep deception is uncovered?
Greater Evangelicalism and Charismaticism is quick to forgive-and-forget. The names of Mike Warnke, Ted Haggard and others serve as evidence to this fact. Yet the Bible doesn't seem to provide this kind of reinstatement, especially given the nature of the crimes/sins. This is why Scripture warns those who seek to be leaders... and why those who are considering entering seminary should strongly consider any other path first.
I completely appreciate your opinion here, so please don't misunderstand my intent here.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when a post is as vague as this, it's hard to take seriously. I gather that you believe Arlington Baptist College shows a lack of integrity. On what basis? Is it the fact of hiring Ergun Caner? If that is the case (which it appears to be due to your accusations of his "resume-padding, story-(untruth)-telling and repenting-without-repenting"), then I encourage you, as an author, to give the reader even the slightest amount of supporting evidence. I realize that you posted two YouTube videos - but without any commentary, it is impossible to deduce how you, as the author, are trying to use it as support.
Perhaps with that, you could gain in your writing the integrity that you accuse this particular college of lacking, as opposed to sounding like a scorned and hypersensitive complainer.
As I mentioned earlier, this is by no means saying that your opinion is invalid, or even that I disagree with you. I just believe that in order to fully communicate an opinion, it needs to be clearly communicated. Otherwise, this appears to solely be a biased and negative rant instead of a well supported and logical position.
The Ergun Caner saga is long and sordid. There are many sites where the complete story is told. I've posted links to them at the bottom.
ReplyDeleteHere's the run down:
Claim: Ergun Caner has claimed to have been born in Turkey, lived in Cairo, and speak Arabic and Turkish.
Fact: Ergun Caner was born in Sweden and immigrated to the US at the age of 3. Videos in which he claims to speak Arabic he actually speaks gibberish. There is no evidence of his living in Egypt, or any of the numerous other places he's claimed.
Claim: Ergun Caner claimed to have had debated many people, including 'leaders' of various religious sects, Shabir Ally, Abdul Saleem and others.
Fact: No record of any of these supposed debates exists and Shabir Ally denies ever debating him. Abdul Saleem is not a Muslim and wouldn't have debated Caner as it was. Caner has never brought forth any evidence of said debates. Caner now claims that these "debates" were mere chats in coffee shops, etc.
Claim: Caner claimed to have been raised to fight Jihad.
Fact: Caner was raised mostly by his Swedish, Lutheran Grandmother, so unless there is a Lutheran Jihad... It is true he spent some time with his Muslim father, who was a person of import at a local mosque, however, the evidence shows that Ergun's claim of jihadi activity is without basis.
In June of 2010, Liberty University, where Caner was dean, acknowledged that Caner had made "self-contradictory" statements about "dates, names and places of residence" in his public talks following the events of September 11, 2001" (Christianity Today, 6/2010).
Who is Ergun Caner? http://turretinfan.blogspot.com/2010/05/who-is-dr-ergun-caner.html
Ergun Caner Materials
http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=3808
- There's this handy tool that helps folks find all sorts of information, it's called GOOGLE and by typing "Ergun Caner integrity", or "ergun caner biography" you could have found out all of this.
Just one more thing, and I'm through.
ReplyDeleteI suggest that in the future, you not criticize your readers for not doing their research when you have clearly not fully presented your own.
Your links and references are notable. I am both glad and relieved that you have posted them, thus showing that you aren't just spouting off ranting opinions.. I would even go as far as saying that I agree with you. However, the discrediting and dismissal of your readers is appalling of you as an author.
With the availability of material on the web with a quick search-engine query it would seem that my providing research on my personal blog shouldn't be necessary. I'm not intending my blog to be the NYT... however I realize that if folks query Caner, they might end up here and having relevant links would be useful.
ReplyDeleteGreat name, btw.