Caners Renege - Debate Over

Over the past couple of days, it has been formally and finally announced that the debate which was to take place at Thomas Road Baptist Church between the brothers Caner and James White/Tom Ascol on October 16 is OVER. It is not going to happen. Here’s the cliff notes of what occurred:

1. Tom Ascol wrote a blogpost about Johnny Hunt and the next president of the SBC in which both Ergun and Emir Caner showed up in their bombastic fashion. James White then offers to have a debate between them, to which they initially denied but later accepted, given that they could control the format, thesis, place, length, etc.

2. After the debate was agreed to take place, many emails were sent back and forth between the participating parties, many which were not responded to from the Caners. James White kept a running PDF document chronicling all the emails and correspondence for the public to see for themselves what was (and was not) taking place.

3. The Caners cried foul for the emails and correspondence being made public which resulted an a climatic moment where Ascol bowed out of the debate. The ugliness and crass comments were beyond reconciliation.

4. At a surprising turn of events, the four corresponded with one another, compromised and agreed to make things work out, beginning with a statement explaining their regrets for the past handling of the issues and a desire to repent of such actions so that they would not take place again.

5. Two weeks before the debate, the moderator, Dr. O’Donnell, unilaterally and arbitrarily changed the debate and its details (one which included the Caners being given the first and last word of the debate) and added that they were “non-negotiable.” Emir Caner consented to the changes, a reneging of the agreement made just months prior when the four came together to make this debate take place.

6. Ascol, upon arrival back from his mission trip to Brazil, shared his disappointment over the failure to see this debate ever take place.

There are tons of questions in the air that are legitimate but I don’t think will ever be answered. For instance, why does Dr. O’Donnell hold the trump card as to how the debate is going to taken place, especially after the four unanimously held to an agreement to ensure that things would work out? What, if any, role has Falwell played in the changes which have taken place? How could such a long saga of emails, announcements, changes, etc. result in reneging that forfeits any debate ever taking place?

As many, I am sure, were looking forward to this debate, it looks like it will never happen. At least we could enjoy a little promo video produced by Josh Chavers. Honestly, I am tired of reading and writing about this. I have followed this whole ordeal from the original post back on February 14, and I think it is time that the blogosphere move on (at least I will). Enough of the Caner brothers, Liberty shenanigans, and unchristian squabbling. The only thing I have gained from this ordeal and the past seven months is a headache and sadness in my heart. I do want to extend my gratitude for White and Ascol bending over backwards to try to make this work out. You two have demonstrated patience and tolerance beyond what is necessary, and although you will not be given the opportunity to present the doctrines of grace to the folks of Liberty and Thomas Road, there is every reason to hope that the good people in that area will see past the events of the last seven months and investigate the matters for themselves. May God, inspite of ourselves, be pleased to grant His people a vision of Himself and His great salvation that exalts the free grace of Jesus Christ and dethrones the prideful, self-determining, and autonomous self which pervades man-centered theology so rampant today.