According to the chaplain, he was evaluated as posing a “moderate risk to minors” because of his lecture on the subject of personal identity.
One chaplain alleges he was banned by the Diocese of Derby as a “moderate risk to minors” for telling pupils that they need not agree with notions around human identity.
Trent College is a Church of England school, and its chaplain, Rev. Dr. Bernard Randall, reportedly made these remarks during a chapel lecture in response to a question from a student: “How come we are taught we have to embrace all this LGBT stuff at a Christian school?”
Dr. Randall preached the official position of the Church of England, which is the traditional Christian view of human identity and sexuality, and encouraged his listeners to debate and form their own opinions on the matter rather than simply “accept an ideology they disagree with.”
The school reported him to Prevent, the government’s terrorist watchdog, who concluded that Dr. Randall had done nothing illegal and then fired him for severe misconduct.
Dr. Randall stated this in a statement released in advance of his Employment Tribunal hearing this week: “I have been identified as a ‘danger to minors’ by Church officials for speaking, gently, the C of E’s own teaching on human sexuality in a CofE chapel.
Preaching a sermon, in my opinion, is not a matter of personal security. For the life of me, I cannot pinpoint where I went wrong. I didn’t mean any disrespect by saying that.
The Derby Diocese safety staff warned me that a sermon and my opinions based on CofE doctrine may make someone uncomfortable, as if that were abuse.
What does it say about the Church of England if it considers its own Biblically-based doctrine to be a threat to the safety of its members?
Dr. Randall is being defended by the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which claims that a risk assessment undertaken by the Diocese of Derby found that he constituted a “moderate danger to minors” and vulnerable people.
The report is also said to have shown that “the Church itself is a risk-factor.”
Since then, the Rt Rev Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby, has refused to let Dr. Randall preside over church services, a decision that his legal team claims violates the Equality Act of 2010 due to its alleged discriminatory and harassing nature.
The Church of England has been accused by CLC CEO Andrea Williams of “wide exploitation of protection.”
She wished that the Church of England had stood up for Bernard Randall after his calm and insightful sermon affirming Church teaching.
I wish they would have said that he was a dedicated clergyman who served the youth of Trent College. We wouldn’t be in this position now if they had helped him maintain his job.
Instead, under criticism, the Church of England disassociated themselves from him. After he expressed the CofE’s own teachings on marriage and human sexuality, they surprisingly worked with Trent College to get him banned from his chosen profession.
Dr. Randall, 49, expressed worry about his professional prospects and hostility toward him as a result of his encounter.
I always intended to give the diocese a fair shot at coming to its senses and resolving the issue on its own accord. I have been quite faithful to the Church throughout my life, but alas, my devotion has not been returned.
To paraphrase Dr. Randall, the Church of England “should have known better and done better” in terms of protecting him.
In his words, “safeguarding” has been used as a weapon against what some people consider to be an objectionable viewpoint.
The Bishop of Derby has failed to support and defend me and has instead displayed moral cowardice by failing to defend the truth of the Church’s own doctrine.
“Unfortunately, the Church of England has been managerialized, and its concern for its status in the secular world appears to outweigh its concern for providing spiritual direction.
Even moderate and thoughtful dissent that promotes debate is unacceptable to the awakened activists who have taken over much of the Church of England.
My faith has been severely tested by this. What has transpired has not caused me to doubt my Christian faith, but it has caused me to seriously consider the Church of England and my membership within it.
After witnessing the Church of England’s current course of action, I find it hard to believe that it truly loves God. Awakened activists are slowly but surely tearing the Church of England apart. As a result, “being kind” to people takes precedence over actually following Jesus, who asks us to fundamental transformation.
According to Ms. Williams, “great repercussions for Christian freedoms and freedom of expression in our nation” depend on the outcome of the lawsuit.
She spoke highly of Bernard Randall, describing him as “a decent man who loves Jesus and biblical truth and is concerned about the promise that is offered in the gospel for school communities.”
Kind, shrewd, and not a threat to anyone’s safety. Good and dedicated clergy like Bernard, and the children who are horribly failed by the Church of England’s false guidance on transgenderism in schools, are at “danger” due to the growth of LGBT ideology and activity inside the Church of England.
It’s unacceptable for the Church of England to hear from its own protection personnel that the Church of England and the Bible pose a threat.
The Derby Diocese and other prominent members of the Church of England have ignored the problem, despite its “very unpleasant and perverse nature.”
We have reached out to the Derby Diocese for their thoughts.
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