How should we respond to public sin of public personalities?

LU needs to conduct a thorough investigation.

If the allegations are true, he should be dismissed from his position or at minimum censured and possibly demoted.

If the allegations are untrue, the university should make public the results of the investigation to exonerate him.

 

I don't think that many of allegations against him are true. But this kind of public pillory of him (not talking about this thread), has no place in the evangelical world. There are people who jump on the band wagon on both sides because they either agree or disagree with Caner's public positions. There are people who have seemingly made it their life's mission to bring him down.

Personally, I think we have a lot more that we need to be discussing than this sideshow.

 

And IF they are accurate, LIBERTY ought to do something about it, but we ain't liberty. Most of those yelling the loudest neither have a connection nor desire a connection with liberty.

 

To my mind, the Christian approach IF these charges were true is for Liberty University to quietly and privately confront the man, lay out the evidences, and ask him to tender his resignation, and make no further comments about the controversies from then on.
This will allow Dr. Caner a graceful exit, and to quietly pick up his life elsewhere, and to deal with his problems before his God.

IF the allegations were proved unsound, at the least, or untrue, at best, then LU should PUBLICLY throw their support behind Dr. Caner, but ask him to limit his public exposures from thereon.

Personally, I think ALL Christian public personalities should get off the air and the ethernet, because many are doing more harm to the Name of Christ than good. We all, private or public personalities, preacher or speaker, University presidents or pastors, have some kind of skeleton in the closet which no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential, can be brought out in public by those who hate God and all who name His Name.

 

There is a long history of ministers (mostly evangelists years ago) embelishing a story or even making up stories to strengthen the points they were trying to make in their sermon. I remember 40 years ago, my minister Father-in-law joking about some popular evangelists (not known nationally) who were "evangelistically speaking" to strengthen their sermon. Their approach was that as long as it promotes the gospel and got prople saved, it was considered okay.

My point is that Caner has not done something that has been done by some ministers years ago. Of course their "evangelistically speaking" was not recorded.

I suspect that Caner was doing the same type thing on his resume that he had done preaching using the same retionale.

 

Unfortunately...

These seem to be the sticking points. Personally I've gotten off planes with only a few hours sleep in the previous days and never forgotten where I was born...or at least where I was told I was born we never really that for sure now do we?

I disagree with this completely. Have you actually read anything by Dr. Caner or are you just reiterating accusations without researching them? You really need to stop taking the word of a pagan Muslim accuser and start checking up on this yourself. His text on Islam is pretty accessible.

I don't understand how this is a big issue. Maybe we should grant him some grace in trying to use a life experience to make a point. I dunno, maybe we are listening to naysayers too much and not our Christian brother enough.

Well he is an apologist and he has debated leaders of other religions. I've sat and listened as he has done this. Go find his podcast and check it out. I think this is a completely baseless accusation.

Maybe on the first point, yes, but the rest I think too many people are trying to go after the guy unnecessarily. I've listed my points above. Really the only one that I see has having any ground is the birthplace and conscription into radical Islam. This is not good, but I doubt it to be "fireable."

I completely disagree with this. You really need to go and do your own research and not listen to his Muslim accuser. He earned a ThD from University of South Africa (I think, this is off the cuff in an airport) an earned, accredited terminal degree. He received an honorary DMin from Immanuel College or something.

He's never lied about any of this. The thing is a ThD and PhD are essentially the same degree. What has happened here is a publisher (he's used different publishers and editors for his books) has changed his bio to suit their audience. Its a silly thing really and I don't believe Dr. Caner is complicit here. As for his disappearing, reappearing DMin...I've got nothing to say about that. It doesn't matter anyways its a worthless degree (in that it is both honorary and from an accredited pseudo-seminary.) Sometimes it appears, others it doesn't. That isn't what credentials him to lead a seminary.

Well its not all true. You need to check your facts. You need to read Dr. Caner's statement. You need to do your homework before you accuse.

I can't speak to hypothetical scenarios when the above material isn't completely true.

Oh, just to toss this out there. I'm not yelling or speaking harshly. I hope my tone is read as conciliatory and conversational. Around here, and on the other pajamahadeen blogs, it seems this, like so many others, person has been weighed, tried, and found guilty without the necessary due process. Really I'm challenging your points openly, but in a friendly tone. No yelling or glaring here. :thumbs:

 

The root of the resume issue has always been the disappearing, reappearing degrees. If I inferred something that was not truly the case I apologize.

I haven't seen anything to suggest that Dr. Caner wasn't a devout Muslim for a time.

Well then respond to each of your accusations above. I don't care if you do it here are somewhere else.

I refuse to be party to someone posting accusations against a Christian brother (because regardless of their veracity he still is our Christian brother) without any recourse in answering them. I'm not trying to be an apologist for Dr. Caner. The good Lord knows I have taken plenty of issue with him and his conduct. But we cannot allow ourselves to be privy to baseless accusations fostered by pagan influences.

Then don't post specifics and ask what we should do about it. To otherwise seems to spread the seeds of gossip.

 

Would you please document why you think he was a devout Muslim?Among other things, Caner's lack of familiarity with Islamic basics seem to suggest the opposite.

 

If these things are true, they have to be addressed. I do know that good men (and women) have been maligned in the past in efforts to harm their ministry. I want to remain open minded here, but the evidence appears strong.

In another thread someone mentioned ministry leaders in his church that are not above reproach. The fact of the matter is that ministry leaders are (and should be) held to a higher standard for obvious reasons. What happens when the "above reproach" doesn't happen tells a lot about the organization.