Friday, May 28, 2010

I guess it was only a matter of time...

I've been keeping quite on the whole ERGUN CANER saga for a number of reasons. Primarily, it is because I have not had the time necessary to put together a convincing case as others have done. Initially, I didn't think that the accusations were that big of a deal. But as JAMES WHITE has regularly covered the issues for several months now, I have begun to see his point on why this matters. For those unfamiliar with what i'm talking about, Ergun Caner is the president of Liberty Theological Seminary. And it would be an understatement to say that Caner is a prominent evangelical apologist. But what is all the fuss about? The issue is truth, consistency, and credibility. Though it pains me to publicly expose a fellow brother in the Lord through the painstaking work done by devout Muslims in researching his claims (who knows how many hours the below video took to make), it is time to join the club.

If you are a follower of Christ who cares about truth and accuracy, consider the parallel. What if one of the most prominent Muslim apologists in the world today made the equivalent claims that Caner makes? For instance, this fictitious Muslim apologists claims to be a former Christian for most of his life, speaks Koine Greek, and debates Christians all over the world. What if this Muslim treated Christianity and the biblical languages the way Caner treats Islam and Arabic? Would this Muslim have any credibility in your eyes? Please watch the below video to see what i'm talking about:



As I don't know Arabic or Islamic theology/culture, I have not checked the accuracy of this video. If anyone has information that falsifies any of the claims made by the Muslim author of the video, please let me know and I will remove this video immediately. In fact, there is nothing I would want more than to disregard all of this and see Caner as innocent.

***UPDATE***

It looks like these claims have been confirmed:

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sadly, the author of the video is correct in calling the "Arabic" jibberish and justified in being amused by Caner. One wonders why Caner exposed himself so. Perhaps this will spur a closer look into his credentials.

Mike Felker said...

@anonymous, this video is only a tip of the iceberg. He has completely lied about and exaggerated his testimony as will in addition to making up debates with Muslim opponents that never took place.

But yeah, one wonders how Caner didn't think that one day others would look back at these recording and test his claims!

bossmanham said...

From what I hear, a lot of this stuff is coming from muslims. While that doesn't make it false, perhaps we should be sure that something is true before we post it? As neither of us has any schooling in Arabic, and as Anonymous could be a muslim or a James White uberfan, both who would gain in the fall of Caner, maybe this isn't the prudent option?

Mike Felker said...

Bossman, as a matter of fact, i'd view it as more credible if its coming from a Muslim who knows Arabic. But given Caner's exposure already from claims that have been at least 99.9 percent falsified (made up debates, immigration issues, etc.), it would become much less surprising if the contents in this video are factually true.

But perhaps you're right, maybe I should consider taking this down until more sources have objectively confirmed the claims as factual.

However, I don't see how White would gain anything by the fall of Caner? If anything, he's taking a lot of heat for exposing all of this.

Anonymous said...

I am not an Arab, nor a Muslim and my Arabic is minimal but I know Arabic when I hear it, especially these simple phrases. May I suggest you bring it to the attention of the priest at St. Elias Orthodox Church, 2045 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, Georgia, 404-378-8191, info@steliasofatlanta.org ? There are many Arabic speaking Christians there and I am sure they would be helpful.

Mike Felker said...

To everyone:

Unfortunately, the claims have been confirmed. Please check this blog entry for the update.