Ergun Caner - International Missions Conference 2008

Apparently, on November 2, 2008, Ergun Caner delivered a message to the International Missions Conference 2008 at Forest Baptist Church (link to page)(link to mp3). The message was titled, "Your Mission Call" and Psalm 145 was the text (all times are approximate).

1:15 "I've been preaching for twenty-five years"

That would put his beginning to preach back in 1983.

2:20 "My wife and I are a mixed marriage. My wife is from Haw River, NC, and I am from Istanbul, Turkey."

He's not from Istanbul.  He was born in Sweden and grew up in Ohio.

12:00 "I came to this country as a missionary to you - as a Muslim, Turkish, Sunni, Muslim."

He came as a toddler.

24:25 "Do you know who reached me for the gospel? raised as a Muslim, raised as jihadeen, living in a madrassa, coming to America to build mosques, worshiping a false god named 'Allah'?"

There is nothing to suggest that Caner was raised as a jihadi and - as noted above - he came as a toddler.

25:20 "Because if it wasn't for a high school boy, trying to earn his AWANA badge or an RA badge or whatever he was trying to do, I wouldn't be in front of you, I'd be behind you, and up to no good."

This suggestion that Caner would be "up to no good" seems to part of this "jihadi" mystique.  But there is no evidence that I've even seen that the Columbus, Ohio Muslims his dad was associated with were jihadists.

25:30 "Jerry Tackett started when I was a freshman in high school and did not stop until I was a senior. Jerry Tackett never took no for an answer. Jerry Tackett didn't care. I played on the soccer team, I played on the basketball team, he played on those teams. I would be praying on my prayer rug in the locker room, look up, and there he's standing."

Soccer yes, basketball no (according to his yearbook).

Also, Caner graduated in 1984 - his senior year was 1983-84.  I realize some churches make men preachers who are novices, but that would really be something - if Caner were converted and became a preacher in the fall of 1983.  Of course, that still wouldn't fit with his 1982 claims elsewhere.

It's hard to say whether Caner actually said his prayers in the locker room at high school.  I would think that would not be the most likely spot for a devout Muslim to pick.

-TurretinFan