(1). First, Liberty has posted an official response to the videos of their President speaking and saying that (a). he grew up in Turkey, when he actually grew up in Ohio, (b). that he was raised in a devout Muslim home, when evidence exists that he was raised in a nominal Muslim home, (c). that he had been involved and "trained" in Islamic jihad, when he was actually a typical midwestern youth, and (d). that he has debated dozens of Muslims about the Islamic faith, when there is no video or audio evidence that such debates took place, and there are even outright denials from the Muslims he allegedly debated that they have even met the President. Dr. Towns, in response to these discrepancies, said this:
"It's not an ethical issue, it's not a moral issue," Towns told Christianity Today on April 27. "We give faculty a certain amount of theological leverage. The arguments of the bloggers would not stand up in court."Theological leverage? I'm sorry, Dr. Towns, but I don't understand. What in the world does "theological leverage" have to do with the questions raised by the words of your President? If you have said, "We give faculty a certain amount of embellishment leverage when they speak," it might make sense to me. That would mean that you see exaggeration (i.e. "lying") about one's past as an acceptable tool for sharing the gospel. I may not agree, but at least I would understand. But leverage in theology? If you, Liberty's official spokesperson, don't understand the difference between theology, ethics and morality, then I can't recommend Liberty to any student who desires a sterling Christian education.
(2). Liberty University, through attorneys, has gone after the man who organized and posted the videos that reveal the spoken discrepancies of Liberty's Seminary's President on Youtube. Read about the forced shutdown of the website and videos here. Ironically, Liberty will discover that the more you fight to cover and hide, the worse it gets. The videos in question will only continue to be uploaded--over and over again.
(3). In the book Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs, the President of Liberty Seminary says this:
We've all heard of these tales wherein a Christian, motivated to share the gospel with a certain people group or culture, negates his or her witness by somehow offending the culture, heritages of practices of that group. Although the person is well-intentioned, he or she ruins the opportunity by some oversight or misstatement and must begin again by apologizing and rebuilding trust"
Bingo. That statement might very well be the truest statement in the book. It is important for Liberty University to begin to rebuild the trust within the evangelical community by apologizing and correcting the errors--not covering them up. Pastor Tom Chantry provides a stunning analysis of this debacle in his well written article entilted Stephen Ambrose, Ergun Caner, the Credibility of the Gospel. The gospel itself is at stake, writes Chantry.
Dr. Falwell, Dr. Towns, the board of Liberty and the President of Liberty Seminary could begin this process of restoring gospel integrity at Libery by issuing a short statement like the following:
"Liberty Seminary and Dr. Ergun Caner both express deep regret for the various discrepancies in the biographical, educational and professional background of our President. Dr. Caner acknowledges that in years past he has embellished and even fabricated events to make his background in Islam more colorful, falsely believing it would make his gospel presentations more powerful. The seminary is assisting their President in clearing up the record by acknowledging these ethical and moral lapses in judgment, correcting the record with an accurate biographical and professional resume, and assuring the evangelical Christian community that this type of behavior when speaking publicly will not be tolerated by any employee of the Liberty University or Seminary. We have officially reprimanded our President, and he has received in brokenness and repentance our discipline, and we are moving forward in rebuilding trust within the evangelical community by restoring our institutional integrity. We are thankful for the grace of forgiveness which is found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
It's that simple. May it be so. When that happens, my faith in Liberty will be restored.
