‘I never thought a sermon on respect would lead to being accused of terrorism’

11 May 2021

Rev. Dr Bernard Randall was dismissed from his role as school chaplain and reported to the government’s terrorist watchdog, Prevent, for a sermon he gave at the school on ‘identity politics’.

Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Bernard Randall, who is ordained in the Church of England and is a former chaplain of Christ’s College, Cambridge, is taking Trent College to court for discrimination, harassment, victimisation and unfair dismissal.

He commented on his case: “My story sends a message to other Christians that you are not free to talk about your faith. It seems it is no longer enough to just ‘tolerate’ LGBT ideology. You must accept it without question and no debate is allowed without serious consequences. Someone else will decide what is and what isn’t acceptable, and suddenly you can become an outcast, possibly for the rest of your life.

“I was ‘too religious’ for them in a Christian school. When I read that there had been a Prevent referral, it was just so mind-blowing, the fear. If the world is mad enough to say that a Church of England minister talking about the Church of England’s beliefs is a violent extremist, then somebody else might be mad enough to act on it.”

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