Chaplain plans to sue headteacher for ‘secretly’ reporting him to counter-terrorism watchdog
A Christian chaplain has been barred from preaching after expressing the Christian perspective on LGBT issues in a Church of England school. Rev. Bernard Randall, 49, was formerly the chaplain of Christ’s College Cambridge, but was dismissed from his position at Trent College following a sermon in which he presented the Christian viewpoint on gender identity and LGBT ideology. The school reported him to the government’s counter-terrorism watchdog, Prevent, for expressing concern about an LGBT group, Educate and Celebrate, that had encouraged staff to chant “smash heteronormativity.” Randall is taking Trent College’s headmaster to court, alleging victimization, harassment, and discrimination on religious grounds. Although a judge previously ruled against his legal claims, he is now appealing this decision. The school has not responded to the allegations. As a result of these events, Mr. Randall now feels blacklisted and unable to preach in public since 2020. Bernard’s situation is being supported by Andrea Williams of the Christian Legal Centre, who stated that his case exemplifies “the intolerance of tolerance.” A concern has been raised regarding freedom of speech and religious expression in the context of educational institutions. Mr. Randall noted that the direction of travel in modern society appears to be either that of “gentle wokeness” or “extreme communism,” and that it’s alarming to see UK society characterized as being “halfway between that gentle wokeness and the extreme communism of the Soviet Union.” He also observed that those in leadership positions appear to be part of a liberal, managerial elite that is strongly aligned with woke ideas. He pointed out that the Church of England doesn’t seem to have the resources to challenge these sociocultural trends. He commented that wokeism seems to permeate Church of England institutions and the wider culture, and that the church’s instinct to minister to society leads it into areas influenced by woke ideas. The direction of the Church of England toward managerialism seems to lean toward wokeness, just as managerialism across all of education points in the direction of wokeness, diversity, inclusion, and equity. The church, while wanting to minister where it is, has too much of the characteristics of wider culture, and the managers do not have the resources to challenge this. According to Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, Bernard Randall’s case shows the “intolerance of tolerance.” She stated that “We need more teachers and chaplains, like Bernard, working with children, not less.” The Department for Education, as well as the Diocese of Derby, were contacted for comment but have not yet responded.
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