Caner has made a name for himself by highlighting his unusual life story: He says he was born into a stridently Muslim family in Turkey, where he learned to hate America and Christians. As Caner tells it, he flirted with jihad before undergoing a life-changing conversion to fundamentalist Christianity. He then persuaded most of his family to convert as well, and they now spread the gospel.

It's a compelling story, and Caner tells it well. I heard him address last year's "Values Voter Summit" sponsored by the Family Research Council. Even though I didn't agree with Caner's Religious Right perspective, I had to admit that he was a funny and engaging speaker.

But now it turns out there may be some problems with Caner's life story - like, it may not be true.

The Lynchburg News & Advance reported two days ago that Liberty officials have launched an investigation. The school was forced to act after criticism about Caner, which had circulated on the web mostly through blogs, bubbled up to the print media.

"In light of the fact that several newspapers have raised questions, we felt it necessary to initiate a formal inquiry," Falwell said in a statement posted on LU's Web site.

Both Christian and Muslim bloggers have criticized Caner. Caner poses as an expert on Islam and in 2002 wrote a book with his brother titled Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs, but it's unclear if he ever even belonged to that religion.

Despite his claims about having lived in Turkey, it now appears that Caner was born in Sweden and moved to Ohio when he was 4 years old. His father was a Muslim, but his mother was Lutheran. The couple divorced, and Caner's mother retained custody. He became an evangelical Christian as a teen; it's unlike he was ever recruited by jihadists.

Caner is also accused of claiming that he has debated a Muslim scholar named Shabir Ally. While Ally frequently engages in debates, he says he has never debated Caner. Some Muslim bloggers have blasted Caner for his ignorance of that faith, saying his real goal is to attack the religion and proselytize for his own version of Christianity.

AlterNet ran a lengthy examination of Caner's claims and the evidence against him. It's worth a look.

Liberty officials say they hope to have the investigation completed by the end of next month. It's not my job to offer Caner unsolicited advice, but if he needs a defense he might just say he was simply following the example of Liberty's founder. Jerry Falwell Sr. was well known for his ability to, let us politely say, "stretch the truth."

One of my favorite incidents involved a rather extreme book Falwell wrote in 1979 titled America Can Be Saved! When I confronted him on the Fox News Channel in April of 1998 and quoted some of the radical material in the book, Falwell simply denied he had ever written it!

I don't what the outcome of the Caner investigation will be, but I do know this: If it turns out Caner falsified his story, he won't be the only fibber ever to have graced the grounds of Liberty University.