Caner suit dismissed

Judge dismisses Caner suit against blogger. A federal judge has dismissed a Georgia Baptist college president’s lawsuit against a blogger who posted video to support allegations that a famous “Jihad to Jesus” testimony is bogus. A U.S. district judge in Fort Worth ruled Jason Smathers, a Southern Baptist pastor in Arizona who blogs at Witnesses Unto Me, was entitled to post government videos he obtained through the jason smathersJason SmathersFreedom of Information Act under the “fair use” doctrine of copyright law. Ergun Caner, president of Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Ga., filed a lawsuit last summer claiming ownership of two videos Smathers posted of Caner speaking as an expert on Islamic culture in training for U.S. Marines preparing to deploy in 2005. U.S. District Judge Terry Means ruled Caner failed to make a case and Smathers used the material fairly, as copyright law permits, for “purposes such as criticism, comment, (or) news reporting.” The judge determined Smathers’ sole purpose “was to expose the inconsistencies in Dr. Caner’s biography and criticize a public figure.” If the unauthorized reproduction of his lectures caused Caner any financial loss, he continued, it was the result of “legitimate criticism” of his words. Smathers reposted video he obtained in 2010 of Caner telling Marines he came to the United States at age 14 from Turkey and learned everything he knew about America from watching Andy Griffith, Chicago Cubs baseball and championship wrestling on TV. Smathers posted legal documents indicating Caner was in fact born in Sweden, came to America when he was about 3 or 4, and grew up as a normal teenager in a suburb near Columbus, Ohio.

U.S. District Judge Terry Means ruled Caner failed to make a case and Smathers used the material fairly, as copyright law permits, for “purposes such as criticism, comment, (or) news reporting.” The judge determined Smathers’ sole purpose “was to expose the inconsistencies in Dr. Caner’s biography and criticize a public figure.” If the unauthorized reproduction of his lectures caused Caner any financial loss, he continued, it was the result of “legitimate criticism” of his words.

Caner was at Liberty when I got my law degree there. The big ruckus then, IIRC, was him making open ridicule of the Calvinists on campus. Had something to do with a debate with James White, I think. A conflict over tape rights. Don’t ask for details. I’ve forgotten most of it. Anyway .... I am sorry these things have to happen. But God knows what He’s doing.

Not to worry - we've got you covered...

Ergun Caner delivered a sermon a few years ago called "Why I am Predestined Not to be a Hyper-Calvinist." However, many Reformed folk thought the sermon would have been more aptly titled "Why I am Not Predestined to Represent the Side I am Critiquing Accurately." In this episode of Radio Free Geneva, James White deals with the many straw men and mischaracterizations that Ergun Caner promoted during this sermon and rectifies them. This episode is especially helpful because many of the arguments Caner brought up are many of the same that are brought up regularly by opponents of the doctrines of grace.
-- from the thread Ergun Caner vs. James White on Calvinism (Radio Free Geneva)
Dr. Caner both hates and misrepresents historic Calvinism. He is concerned with the undeniable resurgence of evangelical Calvinism among Baptists. I can certainly understand that and have no quarrel with his desire to debate renounce it. I do regret, however, that he consistently handles the historical data so poorly. He can call himself a "Sandy-Creeker," but at some point he must deal with the abundant evidence that within the Sandy Creek, Separate Baptist tradition there is a significant regard for Calvinistic doctrines. Even his mentor, Dr. Paige Patterson, publicly acknowledged this fact in the dialogue he held with Dr. Mohler at the 2006 Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference.
-- from the thread New name, same historical revisionism [Liberty Theological Seminary, SBC]

The Caners were pushed to prominence by an SBC leadership that loves a good story and is desperately afraid of appearing “racist” or not “nice”. Unfortunately, the same leadership isn’t careful about facts and has trouble locating both their brains and their testicles.

Ergun Caner’s brother, Emir, is smart and, in every situation I’ve seen him in, effective as a leader. It’s unfortunate that the SBC lacks courage and discernment. They could have avoided this problem if they had paid attention to the individuals and not the alleged story. In that case, Emir would have risen (as he has), and Ergun would have remained in relative obscurity - or at least wouldn’t have been handed positions and influence by the leadership he didn’t deserve.

The SBC is, in any event, headed rapidly toward becoming the next UMC or PCUSA.

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