"I've Never Heard Him Pronouncing Any Arabic Word"

Above is James White's video discussion with a man raised in Syria and whose native language is Arabic. Sorry, Caner defenders, the man is not Muslim, but is Christian, so you can't attack him on that basis. Or shall you say all Syrians are liars?

After they watch and listen to numerous clips of Ergun Caner's supposed Arabic recitations in his sermons, James White asks the man near the end of the video:

"Just from what you've seen here...do you have any reason to believe from what you've seen that Ergun Caner is a native Arabic speaker?"

To which the man replies, in a thick Arabic accent:

"Actually, from what I heard so far, I don't think he knows Arabic. I never heard him pronouncing any Arabic word."

The man did not hear one Arabic word. Translation: Caner is either speaking "jibberish", or he is impersonating someone on TBN speaking in tongues - or both.

We Christians are so gullible. How could this have taken 10 years to expose?

What else are the likes of Caner selling to us and preaching to us that is fake? What other nonsense has been coming forth from conservative Baptist pulpits from our rock star preachers that is false and fake, but hasn't been exposed yet because we worship preachers' great oratory skills and story-telling abilities, and believe everything they say?

Thank you James White for taking the time to provide evidence of Caner's fakery, with nothing to be gained for yourself but getting more ridicule and scorn heaped on you by the likes of Peter "I AM" Lumpkins.

With THAT, Peter,

I am embarrassed for gullible Christians

Trinity Baptist Victim's Brother Speaks Out On Pastor Chuck Phelps

Local Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN ran a story today about Chuck Phelps, the current pastor at Colonial Hills Baptist Church in Indianpolis - and who is one of the central figures in the story of a raped 15-year old at his previous church, Trinity Baptist in Concorde, NH.

This latest news story by reporter Kim King contains excerpts from a phone interview with the victim's brother who says in no uncertain terms people in Indianapolis "should stay as far away as you can" from the church where Phelps is pastor.

I hope the local news folks stay on the case there in Indianapolis and in Concorde, New Hampshire. Here in Jacksonville, Jeannie Blaylock and other local reporters thoroughly covered the Bob Gray scandal and subsequent cover-up in depth at Trinity Baptist Church here in Jacksonville back in 2006 and 2007.

Here is a link to another story running today from ABC News on the Trinity Baptist (NH) scandal.

Thank God for freedom of the press. No Baptist resolutions will stop this "criticism". I suppose the news reporters, and the man quoted in this story, aren't getting the memo that to critize "elected leaders" in Baptist churches is sinful and should be ceased immediately.

Latest Caner Clip: "I Was Held Back a Year" as I Learned English as an Adult

Above is the latest installment of the "Dr. Ergun Caner" YouTube channel. The video image is of our friend, the Ergun Caner impersonator, who is lip-synching words spoken by Ergun Caner at the 2009 "Xtreme Winter Festival" in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. He does a great impersonation of Caner, but the protruding gut is a little on the small side.

While the video impersonation is humorous, the actual words of Ergun Caner are not. He calls illegal immigrants "illegal criminals", but as he has done so many times while out on the preaching circuit he mischaracterizes his own upbringing and experience to give him the platform from which to harshly criticize minorities.

"Let me be very clear. They are not undocumented aliens. They are illegal criminals. I came into this country legally. I stood in the line. And so I say to all the immigrants who come in - I get a lot of immigrant who are, who are uh, students in the seminary, I go "God bless you." I just want to tell you three things: pay ya taxes, learn English, and shut up and quit whining - because - everytime you come here - everytime you come to this country and you say [mocking a foreign accent] "Um, we like America we want to come to this country, let us speak our language" - you are ruining it for the rest of us!

I had to stay out of school for one year, to learn English. I got held back a year, because my English was so poor. I could learn it, and I'm an adult, anybody can learn it."

So Ergun was held back a year, and learned English as an adult, and therefore these lousy no-good immigrants who aren't speaking the language should do what Ergun the Immigrant did as an adult: learn English, and don't "complain" - and immigrants whatever you do, do NOT criticize mega church pastors or you'll be on the first boat back to wherever you came from. Amen? Amen!

But what year was Ergun held back in school? Was it nursery school, or maybe pre-K? All documents we've seen indicate he "stood in line" to get into this country when he was 3 or 4.

I think there is a cowardice element to Caner's words: if Caner truly feels this strongly about illegal immigration, just say it. Why the need to create a cover for himself as having justification for his strong views because he supposedly walked the path of an immigrant not speaking the language who himself overcame these challenges? Man up and say it, don't hide behind a false personna of having walked that same path. In fact, anyone who has truly walked the path of an immigrant to this country who doesn't know the English language would not be so judgmental toward other immigrants as Caner seems to be. I know that for a fact.

This need of Caner's to embellish his own experiences in front of strangers to give him more credibility reminds me of the character "Penelope" played by Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live who is obsessed with continually trying to one-up whoever she meets. Enjoy.

"Thou Shalt Not Blog"

Here Ye, Here Ye! Thou Bloggers Shall Cease Your Criticism, and Thou Shalt Repent!!

"[we] call upon bloggers to cease the critical second-guessing of these elected leaders, and be it further resolved that all Georgia Baptists respectfully request and expect that individuals who disrupt the felllowship through blogging repent and immediately cease the activity and no longer cause disharmony...." from the Georgia Baptist Convention resolution on blogging, passed November 2007.

"The [blogger] went down to Georgia, he was lookin' for a soul to steal, he was in a bind, 'cause he was way behind, and he was willin' to make a deal"...Charlie Daniels, 1979.

------

As the Ergun Caner scandal has unfolded over the past year, there is no question religious blogs played a pivitol role in getting the word out about the Caner deceptions. The blogs presented evidence, and allowed analysis and commentary by all on their blogs. Through video and audio clips, through parody and satire - by a Muslim in Europe, a female blogger in Oklahoma, a trespassed blogger in Jacksonville, and even a Calvinist professor and debater from California, and many others - the word got out about Caner.

But you have to at least give the Baptist leaders credit for having foresight: they saw the danger blogs presented to their grasp of power and their money faucet back in 2007 - even before that with Wade Burleson's blog, and they came out with this resolution. They realized blogs would be a source of information and an avenue of public discourse and debate amongst the brethren they couldn't control.

And that has created a mammoth problem - e.g., Ergun Caner.

This weekend I re-read the resolution against blogging that the Georgia Baptist State Convention passed in November 2007. I've printed the Georgia resolution at the bottom of this post. At the time of it's passage, the resolution got only scant mention in baptist news outlets (here and here). I gather they don't like critical blogs very much in Georgia - maybe Charlie Daniels' song should be changed: "The blogger went down to Georgia, he was lookin' for a soul to steal..."

Yep, SBC leaders - in Georgia and elsewhere - don't like critical bloggers. They refer to critical blogs as slander, personal attacks, divisive, destructive, and other such adjectives. And there is no question, they would love to exercise their power and influence to shut 'em down if they could, we have hard evidence of such.

So take a look at the Georgia Baptist resolution below, now 2 1/2 years later. I'll post some analysis and commentary on this resolution later. Would love to hear your thoughts on this resolution, and other attempts over the past 5 years in dealing with this problem of recalcitrant bloggers.

This resolution was so successful in stopping blogging, maybe one like it should be introduced at the SBC Annual Meeting this year!

---------------

RESOLUTION ON BLOGGING
submitted by Wayne Bray, pastor
Beulah Baptist Church, Douglasville
and William Harrell, pastor
Abilene Baptist Church, Martinez

WHEREAS the American people have the distinct privilege of freedom of speech as provided by our United States Constitution, and this resolution is not intended to limit that freedom of speech we all value so much; and

WHEREAS responsible blogging can be a means of encouragement of our people, but certain people use this tool for divisive and destructive rhetoric at the expense of peace among the Brethren; and

WHEREAS blogging is also being used by some as a tool for personal attacks among other Christian Brothers and Sisters, and this critical and divisive use promotes a negative view of the Southern Baptist Convention in the eyes of the society we are striving to reach with the Gospel (James 3:6, 14),

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the messengers of this convention oppose blogging when it is used to cause division and disharmony among the members of our Southern Baptist Family (Proverbs 6:16-19; 1 Cor 1:10); and since personal differences should not be dealt with in public view,

BE IT ALSO RESOLVED that all personal attacks should cease immediately (Proverbs 17:27-28; John 17:21-24); and

BE IT ALSO RESOLVED that we affirm the historical method of administering our agencies and institutions through elected boards of trustees, and we call upon bloggers to cease the critical second-guessing of these elected leaders; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all Georgia Baptists respectfully request and expect that individuals that disrupt the fellowship through blogging repent and immediately cease this activity and no longer cause disharmony for the advancement of their own personal opinions and agendas; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that we set our eyes once again on the fields to which we are called to labor, refusing to dishonor God with activities that militate against harmony and good will.

Trinity Baptist Church Members: PLEASE DISOBEY YOUR PASTOR

[Photo Removed Due to Copyright Claim]

Fundamentalist Baptist Churches are experts in controlling their members. They get members to not speak of sins (and sometimes even crimes) involving their clergy and members by convincing them that by remaining silent they are obeying scripture. To talk about such matters is "slander" and "gossip" their leaders tell them.

Another case of this is the sickening events that transpired 13 years ago at Trinity Baptist Church in Concorde, New Hampsire - an independent, fundamentalist baptist church. Allegedly a member raped and impregnated a 15-year old, the girl was made to confess her "sin" to the church, and was brainwashed to think it was her fault. And worse - she was whisked away to Colorado to have the baby and the police were unable to interview her and thus her rapist went free for 13 years - until last week.

Here's the point of this post: it's unbelievable....Trinity Baptist Church's pastor, Brian Fuller (pictured above), sent a letter to his congregation last week telling them not to speak to anyone but "our Lord".

As reported by The Washington Post, Fuller's email said:

"Instead of engaging in talk about this incident, I beg you to pray for all those impacted by this crime," Fuller wrote. "I love you tenderly and am confident you will only talk of these matters to our Lord in prayer."

That's code for: don't talk to anybody about this. This will only embarrass our church. Jesus will be happy if you just stay mum. God is the one who will take care of this. If you talk, you'll be hurting Jesus and the gospel.

This is the same hogwash that was said when Gilyard was arrested. Religious zealouts told Tiffany Croft that she should close down her blog, and let God handle things. They said she should mind her own business, she was told that her blog was hurting the church and powerful SBC leaders that for years and years promoted Gilyard were embarrassed by her blog.

Her blog hurting powerful church leaders? Tough poop, as my grandpappy used to say - and he didn't say "poop".

As I said before, God was looking for someone to help stop Gilyard, to expose him. So many failed over two decades, even powerful church leaders, but Tiffany stood her ground and helped bring Gilyard to justice.

Now God is looking for some church members in Concorde, New Hampshire, to come forward and help put the rapist in jail, and hold anybody accountable if they participated in obstruction of justice that allowed this creep to walk around for 13 years. And God forbid that this guy preyed on any other young girls at the church in the last decade.

Brian Fuller ought to be saying the following - since he won't, the Watchdog will:

Members of Trinity Baptist Church in Concorde, New Hampshire: If any of you were around at the time of the events surrounding the rape of this 15-year old at your church - if any of you were present at the "discipline" meeting, if any of you know facts surrounding the events that led to this girl being sent to Colorado and the police not being able to interview her...if any of you know of the allegations against the rapist and might help justice be served, please, please, please, contact our police department, and feel free to contact the local newspaper who is investigating.

Our God is all about TRUTH and JUSTICE...yes, he is about salvation of souls, but just as much as that he is interested in JUSTICE FOR THOSE WHO ABUSE THE WEAK AND POWERLESS. You have a Christian and American duty to speak of these horrible, abusive events that took place at your church. Jesus is looking for some men and women of integrity. Do not listen to your pastor, but instead:

Sing like a canary if you have facts related to this case. Speak to God about it, yes, but just as important speak to the police - because God is using THEM to bring justice.