Liberty University demotes Caner for false claims

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Liberty University has demoted the dean of its theological seminary after investigating claims that he exaggerated or fabricated parts of his testimony about converting from militant Islam to Christianity.

Trustees of the school issued a statement saying Ergun Caner made “factual statements that are self-contradictory.” He stepped down when his contract expired June 30 and accepted a contract to remain on the faculty as a professor for the next academic year.

Trustees said they accepted Caner’s basic testimony of growing up a Muslim before converting to Christianity as a teenager but “found discrepancies related to matters such as dates, names and places of residence.” Liberty officials originally defended Caner against blogs questioning written descriptions of his academic credentials and recorded testimonies about being trained as a jihadist terrorist while growing up in Turkey.

After media outlets ran stories showing that Caner in fact grew up in Ohio the son of a divorced Muslim father and Lutheran mother, the university announced May 10 that a committee would conduct a formal review. The June 25 statement said Caner apologized for “discrepancies and misstatements that led to this review.”