Internet video scrubbing alleged [is Ergun Caner trying to make us forget something?]

A Christian blogger has reportedly filed an ethics complaint against a lawyer for claiming ownership of online video he says was obtained legally from the federal government.

Jason Smathers, who began the Witnesses Unto Me blog in the Spring of 2009, posted a series of blogs in 2010 unquestioning claim by popular evangelical speaker Ergun Caner that he grew up overseas and was trained to be an Islamic terrorist before accepting Christ at age 18.

Smathers tracked down legal documents showing that Caner, author of books including Unveiling Islam who told the conversion story in numerous venues including the Southern Baptist Convention, emigrated to the United States with his family at age 2 and grew up in Ohio in custody of his Lutheran mother after his parents’ divorce.

One blog included video of Caner conducting two training sessions on cultural issues for United States Marines in New River, N.C., before they were deployed in 2005. The commanding officer introduced Caner as being born in Istanbul, Turkey.Ergun Caner is introduced to Marines in a training video shot in 2005.

“I knew nothing about America until I came here when I was 14 years old,” Caner said. “Everything I knew about American culture I learned through American television.” He went on to explain misconceptions of America learned from watching the “Andy Griffith Show,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” professional wrestling and Chicago Cubs baseball.

While on the one hand longing to be an American, Caner advised: “We are taught from birth, you are the infidel. You are sons of Satan.”

“My madrassa (Muslim school) in Istanbul, Turkey; my madrassa in Cairo, Egypt, there’s no question of what the doctrine of jihad was,” he continued. “It is only when we come to America and hear westernized Islam we hear that ‘Oh, Islam means peace.’”

“I was sworn to jihad,” Caner told the Marines. “At the age of 9 until I was 18 years old and I became a believer in Jesus Christ, I was sworn to jihad. I followed the protocols. I knew the three waves. I understood what you do before you take the death plunge, as we call it. I understand why the guys were in the bars with the hookers the night before the bombing of 9/11, because, ‘Eat drink and be merry; tomorrow we are forgiven.’”

Through a Texas attorney claiming infringement of U.S. copyright laws, Caner claims ownership of the videos in a June 3 letter to Viddler, Inc., the online media company in Bethlehem, Pa., that hosts them.

“Dr. Caner is the exclusive owner of the copyrights in and to the text, artwork, logos, videos and photographs of his public speeches and presentations,” claimed Bartonville, Texas, attorney David Gibbs. “Dr. Caner has not granted permission -- nor has he authorized anyone -- to post any video or any part of any video in any Viddler presentation. Any unauthorized use of this material infringes upon the exclusive right of the owner, Dr. Caner.”

Smathers said he obtained the video from the Marines and that any attorney practicing in copyright law would know that his client does not own U.S. government work. He accused the lawyer of abusing the law in an attempt to erase past lies, and said he had filed a grievance with the Texas State Bar Association.

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary removed Caner as dean in 2010, citing "factual statements that are self-contradictory” after an investigation “found discrepancies related to matters such as dates, names and places of residence" in his writings and speechs.

In 2011 Caner became provost and vice president of academic affairs at Arlington Baptist College, a Texas school aligned with the World Baptist Fellowship.

In February, Caner was invited to speak at First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., the same pulpit where he preached a 2001 sermon that launched him to prominence in which he claimed to be “trained to do that which was done on 11 September” but that “Jesus strapped a cross on his back so I wouldn’t have to strap a bomb on my back.”

Caner recently defended himself against criticism on social media with tweets proclaiming: “I will NOT repent for their false accusations, nor sins I did not commit,” and “No need to prove anything. Certainly not u. Again, 3 schools looked at it all. Finding? Exonerated.”

Court documents copied and posted online by Witnesses Unto Me indicate that Caner’s parents weremarried in Sweden and had lived in Ohio six years by the time Caner was 8. A 1978 divorce decreeawarded custody of their three minor children to the mother and visitation rights to the father.

A court order left religious training up to each parent at the times the children were in their control so the offspring might “be better able to make their own choices in the future when they are of sufficient age to make such decisions for themselves.”

In a 1989 will, Caner’s father named two children from a subsequent marriage as beneficiaries and bequeathed Caner and his two brothers each “one copy of the Quran, an Islamic holy book.”

The witch hunt for Caner is unreal.

I can’t imagine being hounded by people who profess themselves as believers, for years and years after-the-fact. What’s known is that he may have elaborated some when talking about his upbringing, but this is quite common among any speaker.

Their called slips of the tongue for a reason and I would hope no one would take a mistake you’d make and force you to relive it and make some grand public repentance. Then and only then may you be acceptable (and even then not really). That sounds like the Pharisees with a stone in their hands rather than Jesus with a hand reaching out.

If the man has made peace with God and those around him in accountability, then that’s all there should be to it. Ergun Caner has done and is doing great things for the Kingdom.

The witch hunt for Caner is unreal....What’s known is that he may have elaborated some when talking about his upbringing, but this is quite common among any speaker. Their called slips of the tongue for a reason and I would hope no one would take a mistake you’d make and force you to relive it and make some grand public repentance.

I seriously beg to differ. What's known is that he DID MAKE UP OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH the most distinctive parts of his testimony, and it was THE PARTS THAT HE MADE UP that got him invited to speak and ultimately got him his job at Liberty. Caner gave false witness in order to get work as an expert in Islam/Christian witnessing:

He was not raised overseas, unless you consider Ohio "overseas",
He was not raised to be a terrorist, unless by "terrorist" he meant "Lutheran",
He did not come to America at age 14, unless by "age 14" he meant "age 2",
He did not attend madrassas in Istanbul, Turkey and Cairo, Egypt, unless by "madrassas" he meant "American public schools",
He did not learn about America from watching television, unless his parents kept him locked in the basement for six years in Ohio

So tell me - what parts of his story do you believe are "elaborated on" yet still substantially true, without being wholly false?

Sometimes I wish I had a better...Do you ever do that? Do you ever wish you had a better testimony in your life? You're sitting there in church, listening to a guy on stage, thinking "Man, he has an awesome testimony! I have a horrible one. I wish I was addicted to crack! (Kicks foot against ground, grumbles sarcastically) Thanks, God!
-- Tim Hawkins, from the DVD "I'm No Rockstar"

He may very well had been raised a radical muslim by his father. That part is up to interpretation unless someone knew the man as a boy growing up during that time. The story bits of age/place/how deep it was do seem to be conflicting and I’ll admit there’s something amiss there.

At the same time, my larger point was this: that there is a contingent of folks that literally hound the man left and right, on a daily basis. Some are muslims, but most are Christian (and for some reason of the Calvinist sort).

What is the aim in this effort? To bring “correction” to a man you don’t know personally? How would you know if he’s repented of any falsehoods or not? Is that your job?

Is it “Christian” or “Biblical” of us to constantly nag and remind others of their past sins? I really would hate it if you ever did something wrong, repented of it, and yet it wasn’t good enough to your accusers because they couldn’t put a Scarlet Letter on your chest.

Christians are their own worst enemies in that we far too often eat our own, rather than encourage and forgive. I’ve been in ministry over 10 years and have seen the damage done when overzealous believers take it too far.

The attrition rate among pastors is more than 50%, and it’s because of situations such as this when we put higher demands on them that we’d never in a million years hope to have on ourselves.

I only know the man in passing via Twitter interactions, etc. and I have friends that knew him from Liberty days that speak well of him. That’s all I can go on, but all I know is regardless of what he may/may not had said, it’s in the past and I trust he’s laid it down and moved on. His critics should too.

Otherwise, the wasted time and effort put into dogging a man for fudging his upbringing narrative is a black mark on the church given that it could be better used in you know... actually reaching the lost?

...my larger point was this: that there is a contingent of folks that literally hound the man left and right, on a daily basis. Some are muslims, but most are Christian (and for some reason of the Calvinist sort). What is the aim in this effort? To bring “correction” to a man you don’t know personally? How would you know if he’s repented of any falsehoods or not? Is that your job?

There was an article on the subject of Caner about three years ago, that stated the issue so succinctly, that I'm going to quote that statement now:

Look: I don't care if Dr. Caner hates Calvinists and has a disdain for James White and his supporters. I do, however, Care [with a capital "C"] about the integrity Dr. Caner brings to our faith when he represents it before both a believing and unbelieving world. Muslims don't care what he thinks about Calvinists. They do care that he tells the truth about the things he says about Islam and their apologists....
....[Caner] represents the theological seminary for one of the major Baptist colleges in the world. Being the [let me note that again] PRESIDENT of a theological seminary means he sets the academic tone for the entire school in the studies of theology [that means the "study of God"]. Did you get that? When people hear Dr. Caner speak, they are hearing the PRESIDENT of a theological seminary speak to them! He reflects what is being taught at that seminary at that major Baptist school. Is there not one colleague, professor, fellow academic - a pastor! - who either teaches at that same college or is an alumni who is the least bit troubled by these revelations of Dr. Caner's public persona? Additionally, Dr. Caner is a Christian. He not only reflects the integrity of the entire Liberty university, but he reflects Jesus Christ. Does that matter to any of his supporters!?
-- from the thread The Mike Warnke of this Generation? A Plea to Ergun Caner

...all I know is regardless of what he may/may not had said, it’s in the past and I trust he’s laid it down and moved on. His critics should too....What is the aim in this effort? To bring “correction” to a man you don’t know personally? How would you know if he’s repented of any falsehoods or not?

We would know, if he would point us to his published statement of repentance and confession. That he cannot has not pointed anyone to it stands as evidence that he has not made one.

...it’s because of situations such as this when we put higher demands on them that we’d never in a million years hope to have on ourselves...the wasted time and effort put into dogging a man for fudging his upbringing narrative is a black mark on the church...

Who really placed the black mark on the church - the senior man who lied (and refuses to repent), or the junior men who called him on it?

“Who really placed the black mark on the church - the senior man who lied (and refuses to repent), or the junior men who called him on it?”

I’m certainly reminded of the Jewish religious leaders ready to stone an adulteress in the public square. The woman sinned, sure... but what was worse was the readiness of the accusers in their desire to kill her for punishment, without holding themselves to the same standard.

As I suggested before, imagine if a falsehood you told long ago was on tape and you had critics (from all sides) bring it up constantly until a “just punishment” was issued, when in fact you may have already sought forgiveness, got peace from God, learned from it, and moved on.

Is God in the business of haunting people? Or does that sound more like someone else?

As for Muslims, I hate to break it to ya but they are going to distrust Christians whether they’re of “high integrity”, liars, or otherwise. What matters most is Caner’s relationship with God and if that has remained in tact. If you think they’re have high character themselves, as the Koran says it’s okay to lie to an “infidel”.

The folks at Arlington Baptist College are not fools. I’d imagine they did their homework before bringing him on, including checking with those who keep Caner accountable.

Why does Caner owe you or any other accuser an explanation?

I’m certainly reminded of the Jewish religious leaders ready to stone an adulteress in the public square. The woman sinned, sure... but what was worse was the readiness of the accusers in their desire to kill her for punishment, without holding themselves to the same standard.

No, what was worse was that her accusers, who caught her in the very act of adultery, didn't simultaneously hold her partner to that same standard. The scriptures tell us that she was caught in the act. Two were guilty. And yet her accusers were playing favorites by allowing one of them to go free, and were caught trying to trick Jesus into doing the same.

One of the lessons we're learning from the Caner case is that Caner has not "sought forgiveness" from those he has wronged. Who has he wronged? Anyone who paid him a fee for giving a testimony about how he was a terrorist-turned-Christian. Did he return their monies? Did he make a public confession in the same way, to the same audiences, as he gave a public testimony earlier?

Is God in the business of haunting people?

Yes - it's called conviction of sin. I believe that God haunts sinners. John Donne, author of The Hound of Heaven, also believes that.

What matters most is Caner’s relationship with God and if that has remained intact. If you think they’re have high character themselves, as the Koran says it’s okay to lie to an “infidel”.

Ergun claims to have been a Muslim. Later in his life, Caner lied to Christians about the circumstances of his conversion. Does Caner believe that Christians are infidels?

The folks at Arlington Baptist College are not fools. I’d imagine they did their homework before bringing him on, including checking with those who keep Caner accountable.

I would hope so. I would feel better if they released a statement to that effect. I can tell you that I would never send a son or daughter to their school, until they do so. I'd feel better still, if Caner publicly recanted and repented of his false testimony.

Why does Caner owe you or any other accuser an explanation?

As a professing Christian, Caner owes people a true testimony re his faith. Caner hasn't provided that to date. How can we tell the difference between truth and lie, when Caner insists that all is truth? What shall we conclude about his faith?

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