Ergun Caner–who is to evangelicals today what Mike Warnke was in the 1980s–preached at FBC Woodstock this past Sunday, July 27.
Some may wonder, “What is so monumental about that?” Ergun Caner has a great story: he was trained to be a Jihadist, but eschewed that life for Christianity. His resultant notoriety has gained him academic position, as well as numerous writing and speaking gigs. He has been a hot draw for churches for more than a decade.
The problem is, the whole story is bovine ejectus.
Seth Dunn, a blogger who is a member of FBC Woodstock, has spoken out forcefully against Caner, opposing his invitation to preach at his church.
For his diligence in telling the truth, Dunn was forced to leave the premises of FBC Woodstock on Sunday. The security team did not even allow him to attend Sunday School.
As Russ Westbrook–who occasionally drops in here–pointed out,
a church member in good standing (not under biblical discipline a la Matt 18 or I Cor 5) has every right to be on their church’s property; they in fact ARE the church! This seems to be a crime against Heaven and probably Caesar as well……..
Well, that would be an insult to Caesar. At least Caesar didn’t claim a Christian faith.
Why do so many churches indulge this Caner guy? Celebrity trumps truth?
Yep. He has name recognition. A lot of folks trump him up as a “former Jihadist who became a Christian.” That makes for a good draw.
Trouble is, the storyline is bogus. He grew up, as I did, in a nominally-Muslim family. My dad is a secular Muslim, and otherwise has no beef with my being a Christian.
Now don’t get me wrong; that he went from Muslim to Christian is a very big deal. But that story is not as sexy as, say, that of a former Jihadi terrorist jumping ship.
He has received many accolades–and publishing deals–on the basis of that “former Jihadi” lie. This undermines his otherwise legitimate bona fides.
“Ergun Caner–who is to evangelicals today what Mike Warnke was in the 1980s–preached at FBC Woodstock this past Sunday, July 27.”
Well, if you can call it “preaching.” If you listen to Ergun Caner any more, it is almost a stand-up comedy routine. Some vague, small reference to the text of scripture, maybe a few Greek words thrown in there, but stories and comedy left and right.
That would put him even more in the same league with Warnke, who fashioned himself as a Christian comedian to go with his former Satanist credentials.