Emir Caner Explained

Emir Caner (born August 25, 1970) is the eighth and youngest president of Truett McConnell University, a private Baptist university in Cleveland, Georgia.[1] [2] Since 9/11, he and his brother Ergun Caner have been credited with playing a significant role in cultivating "Islamophobia" and "militant nationalism" in the evangelical Christian community.

Early life

Caner was born to a Turkish father named Acar and a Swedish mother named Monica. He grew up in Gahanna, Ohio.

Education

Caner earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Criswell College (1993), an M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (1995), and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Arlington (1999).[3] Caner's dissertation was entitled “Truth Is Unkillable: The Life and Writings of Balthasar Hubmaier, Theologian to the Anabaptists.”[3]

Academic career

Prior to arriving at Truett McConnell, Caner held the following academic positions: Assistant Professor of Church History and Anabaptist Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina (1999–2004); Associate Dean of The College at Southeastern in Wake Forest, North Carolina (2004–05); and Dean of The College at Southwestern, Director of the Center for Free Church Studies and Professor of History at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas (2005–08).[3]

Politics

Caner has been a member of the Council for National Policy, a conservative political advocacy group.[4]

In 2018, Caner announced that Truett McConnell would no longer sell Nike apparel in its campus bookstore because of the athletic company's hiring of Colin Kaepernick.[5]

Caner is a member of the steering council for the Conservative Baptist Network, a group of southern Baptists that opposes critical race theory and aligns itself with the political positions of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.[6] [7]

Under Caner's leadership, Truett McConnell regularly hosts events focused on political conservatism, such as the Todd Starnes Faith and Freedom Celebration, which has featured former National Security Council member Oliver North (2018), former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (2019), and former Trump administration press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders (2021).[8] [9] [10] Another similar event held at Truett McConnell was the 2020 Conservative Baptist Network's Pastor Prophet Patriot event that featured Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, Pastor Brad Jurkovich of First Bossier in Bossier City, Louisiana, and evangelist Tim Lee.[11]

Controversy

Caner and his brother Ergun became the focus of controversy after the publication of their 2002 book Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs. In it, the Caner brothers stated, among other things, that they were raised in “radical Islam” in Turkey, which was verifiably not true.[12] Ergun drew much of the criticism for the factual errors and other discrepancies in the book that called into question the brothers’ exposure to, and practice of, the Muslim faith. The controversy eventually cost him his position as dean of the Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary and Graduate School in 2010. Despite some critics pointing to Emir's complicity in the spread of this embellished upbringing, he avoided the same type of consequence.[13] [14]

In addition to the above controversy, former Southern Baptist Convention president Jerry Vines cited Emir and Ergun Caner's book for the source of his claim at a 2002 pastors' conference that the Islamic prophet Muhammad was "a demon-possessed pedophile."[15] [16] Vines' statement elicited outrage and claims of Islamophobia from Muslims and non-Muslims alike.[17] Emir Caner defended the book, saying, "We have attempted to give an honest and compassionate portrayal of the tenets of Islam without any compromise or equivocation."[18] Caner also stated that Muhammad was a "warmonger" and Islam was "at its core, a violent faith."[19] Such statements have led scholars to identify Emir and his brother Ergun as leaders in pushing evangelical Christians to embrace Islamophobia and militant nationalism in the post-9/11 era.[20] [21]

Personal life

Caner met Hana Titerova (born 1975) in Mikulov, Czech Republic; they married in 2000.[3] [22] They have three children: John Mark, Daniela, and Anna.

Books

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Truett-McConnell College hires former Muslim as its president. 2021-12-31. www.gainesvilletimes.com.
  2. Web site: Emir Caner. 2021-12-31. Truett McConnell University. en-US.
  3. Web site: Staff Directory. December 31, 2021. Truett McConnell University Bears.
  4. Web site: 2014. Council for National Policy Membership Directory. December 31, 2021.
  5. Web site: Truett McConnell will not sell Nike apparel. 2021-12-31. The Christian Index. 7 September 2018 . en.
  6. Web site: Steering Council. 2021-12-31. Conservative Baptist Network. en-US.
  7. Web site: Roach. David. Movement Wants to Make Southern Baptists Conservative Again. 2021-12-31. News & Reporting. 30 October 2020 . en.
  8. Web site: 'There is no freedom without faith': Gov. Huckabee Speaks at TMU's Second Annual Faith & Freedom Celebration. 2021-12-31. Truett McConnell University. en-US.
  9. News: Hardy. Wayne. September 23, 2021. Sarah Sanders to visit TMU Friday at Faith & Freedom. White County News. December 31, 2021.
  10. Web site: Gregory. Jenny. 2018-03-30. TMU to feature Tomb of Unknown replica at Faith and Freedom Celebration. 2021-12-31. Now Habersham. en-US.
  11. Web site: Hart. Dan. Pastor Prophet Patriot: 'This Is Our Moment'. 2021-12-31. FRC Action. en.
  12. Smith. Christopher Cameron. 2014. "Ex-Muslims," Bible Prophecy, and Islamophobia: Rhetoric and Reality in the Narratives of Walid Shoebat, Kamal Saleem, Ergun and Emir Caner. Islamophobia Studies Journal. 2. 2. 84–86. 10.13169/islastudj.2.2.0076. 10.13169/islastudj.2.2.0076. 2325-8381.
  13. Web site: Riley. Jennifer. Liberty Univ. Demotes Ergun Caner After Investigation. 2021-12-31. The Christian Post. 29 June 2010 . en-US.
  14. Web site: Burleson. Wade. Experts in Islam? Is Emir Caner Complicit in Brother Ergun Caner's Embellishments?. 2021-12-31. Istoria Ministries Blog.
  15. News: McMullen. Cary. June 29, 2002. Pastor's Comment Appalling At Best. D-1. Lakeland (FL) Ledger. December 31, 2021.
  16. Web site: CNN.com - Muslims angered by Baptist criticism - June 13, 2002. 2021-12-31. edition.cnn.com.
  17. News: Sachs. Susan. 2002-06-15. Baptist Pastor Attacks Islam, Inciting Cries of Intolerance. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-12-31. 0362-4331.
  18. News: Oh. Susie L.. June 6, 2003. Christian Authors Writing Books on Islam. D-3. Lakeland (FL) Ledger. December 31, 2021.
  19. News: July 26, 2002. Converts Take Heat for Book About Islam. B-6. Lumberton (NC) Robesonian.
  20. Book: Du Mez, Kristen Kobes. Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. Liveright. 2020. 978-1-63149-573-1. Ch. 13.
  21. Cimino. Richard. 2005. "No God in Common:" American Evangelical Discourse on Islam after 9/11. Review of Religious Research. 47. 2. 162–174. 10.2307/3512048. 3512048. 0034-673X.
  22. Web site: Hana Caner – comparing America to life under Communism. 2021-12-31. The Christian Index. 20 August 2015 . en.
  23. Web site: 2003 Gold Medallion Book Awards Winners. December 31, 2021. Christian Book Expo.

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