Son of Ergun Caner, President of Brewton-Parker College, Commits Suicide
Braxton Caner, the 15-year-old son of apologist and Baptist college President Ergun Caner, has apparently committed suicide.
News of the tragedy spread Tuesday evening via Twitter and other social media outlets.
Caner is the president of Brewton-Parker College, an Evangelical college affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention in Mount Vernon, Georgia. He previously served as president of Arlington Baptist College in Texas and dean of the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
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Caner had a single post on his Twitter feed as of Wednesday morning, "1 Thessalonians 4:13-14," which reads, "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him" (NIV).
Many supporters offered their condolences on social media.
"Fervent prayers with you and your family, brother. Our heart breaks with you for your loss. Press forward in Christ...," Matt Barber, adjunct assistant professor of Law at Liberty University, replied.
"Let's all pray for the family of @erguncaner. Awful tragedy. All of us should pray for comfort and grace," Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, tweeted.
Caner is well known for co-authoring a book with his brother, Emir Caner, about being raised in a Muslim home. Some facts in that book were disputed and Caner left his position at LBTS amid that controversy.
According to Baptist Press, Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, spoke with Caner on Wednesday.
Braxton Caner had made a profession of faith and was baptized, Caner told Page.
