1 March 2023
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“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Conservative Sites Blacklisted Under Guise of Fighting Misinformation
[3] Maya Forstater to Give Expert Evidence in Teacher ‘Misgendering’ Case
Additional Articles of Interest
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[1] Conservative Sites Blacklisted Under Guise of Fighting Misinformation
The following is excerpted from “Investigative Journalist,” The European Conservative, Feb. 15, 2023: “Disinformation-tracking groups ‘are part of a stealth operation blacklisting and trying to defund conservative media,’ writes investigative journalist Gabe Kaminsky for the Washington Examiner. According to his report published on Thursday, February 9th, these supposedly non-partisan organizations are feeding blacklists of right-wing websites–and other news media–to major ad companies with the aim of ‘defunding disfavored speech,’ as leaked documentation shows. The story is simple: brands that want to advertise their products online turn to giant ad companies. These ad companies want to avoid advertising on sites with questionable reputations for fear of their clients being canceled, so in turn, they contract ‘disinformation trackers’ to obtain private information about potentially dangerous websites ‘they should purportedly defund.’ One of the groups behind this is the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), whose mission is to ‘remove the financial incentive’ to create ‘disinformation.’ The organization compiles a secretive ‘dynamic exclusion list’ of news outlets it deems to have a high risk of spreading disinformation, a list intended to severely impact the outlets’ advertising revenue. Just as a side note, George Soros’ Open Society Foundation and the U.S. State Department-backed National Endowment for Democracy are both listed among the founders of GDI. Among the ten outlets on GDI’s ‘riskiest’ list are The American Conservative, The Spectator, Real Clear Politics, The Federalist, The Daily Wire, and The New York Post–all of which skew to the Right. Some ad companies, such as Xandr, have adopted GDI’s exclusion list to punish content they deem ‘morally reprehensible or patently offensive’ or that ‘could include false or misleading information.’”
+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org
An ordained Church of England (CofE) chaplain, who was sacked and secretly reported to the government’s terrorist watchdog for a moderate sermon in a school chapel on identity politics, will appeal an employment tribunal ruling handed down this week.
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Rev. Dr Bernard Randall, 50, had taken his employer, Trent College in Nottingham, to court for discrimination, harassment, victimisation and unfair dismissal.
He has described the ruling against him as a ‘blow for free speech and Christian freedoms.’
Dr Randall, who is a former chaplain at Christ’s College Cambridge, had been ‘alarmed’ when at the start of the school year in 2018, Trent College in Nottinghamshire, which has a ‘Protestant and Evangelical’ CofE ethos, invited extreme LGBT group Educate and Celebrate (E&C) into the school.
During staff training, E&C’s leader, Elly Barnes, had encouraged staff to chant ‘smash heteronormativity.’
‘Smashing heteronormativity’ means smashing the traditional view of sex and gender and getting rid of the belief that there are men and women, and that men and women belong together.
E&C actively promote Queer Theory and the ‘Gender Unicorn’ which presents multiple genders children can identify as. The group has been shrouded in controversy after being forced to remove leading patron, trans comic, Jordan Grey, for stripping naked on Channel Four.
Gray had suggested that he went into schools to ‘talk about gender’ on behalf of E&C, adding that ‘toddlers kind of get it straight away’.
Following Elly Barnes’s training, Trent College began implementing a ‘gold standard’ LGBT programme across the school.
Responding to questions from students, in July 2019, Dr Randall delivered a sermon entitled ‘Competing Ideologies’ in the school’s CofE chapel. The sermon was moderate, encouraged respect and debate and said that it was ok for pupils to disagree with LGBT teaching.
Dr Randall has described, however, how following the sermon he was subjected to Stalinesque interrogations and a sustained campaign of open censorship against him, which led to his life being torn apart.
Without his knowledge he was reported to the government’s terrorist watchdog, Prevent, manoeuvred out of employment at the school, and blacklisted as a ‘safeguarding risk’ by the CofE. He has not been able to give a sermon in over three years.
Dr Randall had repeatedly raised during investigations by the school and the diocese that his beliefs on marriage and human sexuality, were based on the CofE’s public liturgy, especially the Book of Common Prayer, and Canon law which states that marriage is “in its nature a union permanent and lifelong, for better for worse, till death them do part, of one man with one woman.”
Following a legal hearing at East Midlands Employment Tribunal in September 2022, however, Employment Judge Victoria Butler ruled against Dr Randall.
As has become standard practice in Christian freedoms cases, Judge Butler used the CofE’s own ‘Valuing All God’s Children’ guidance for schools against Dr Randall. Judge Butler made the point that the CofE cite Educate and Celebrate as a recognised ‘resource’ in the guidance.
Judge Butler suggested that Dr Randall had ‘misconceived’ what E&C are and that he had had “an extreme reaction” to their involvement within the Christian school.
She said: “The Claimant [Dr Randall] takes an extreme view of E&C which bears no resemblance to the reality of its purpose and implementation, which was aimed simply at creating an inclusive environment for all. We saw and heard no evidence that came anywhere close to supporting the Claimant’s view that E&C would indoctrinate pupils in such a way.”
Judge Butler ‘accepted’ the School’s evidence that Elly Barnes getting staff to chant ‘smash heteronormativity’ was ‘simply an enthusiastic attempt by Ms Barnes to warm-up the teachers at the outset of the day.’
In regards to Dr Randall’s sermon, she concluded that: “The duty to safeguard pupils from the risk of harm and the requirement to comply with the Independent Schools Standards Regulator outweigh the Claimant’s right to express his beliefs in the manner he did in a school environment.”
Despite the sermon being moderate, Judge Butler repeated a conclusion based on a handful of complaints, and which bears no resemblance to what Dr Randall said, that: ‘We have already found that the message taken away by pupils was that it was wrong to be LGBT+ and okay to discriminate.’
Dr Randall had explicitly stated, “no one should be discriminated against simply for who he or she is: that’s a Christian value,” and repeatedly emphasised the importance of respecting those with whom we disagree and that, “there is no excuse for personal attacks or abusive language.”
In regard to the school’s referral of Dr Randall to Prevent, Judge Butler said: “Ms Rimington [safeguarding officer] has extensive experience in her field. She gave evidence that she is trained to look for indicators of radicalisation and recognise when someone was becoming radicalised long before they reach the point where terrorism is reached. She explained that there was ‘a continuum which is quite a long journey’.”
She added that: “The referral arose because of the objectionable way in which the Claimant manifested his beliefs and was justified because of the need to take a cautious approach from a safeguarding perspective.”
Furthermore, she said that the safeguarding officer: “Was concerned that the Claimant’s deeply held belief that Canon law took precedence over the welfare of pupils and staff fell under the remit of Prevent.”
The one-sided judgment did mention the evidence submitted by Rev. Dr Ian Paul’s which provided: “an explanation of Canon law and referred to case law in respect of the protected characteristic of religion or belief. In summary he said: “In sum, it seems to me that what Dr Randall said was entirely in accord with the Church’s teaching. This teaching is something that Dr Randall, as an ordained clergyman in the Church, has an obligation to understand, teach, and uphold in his own lifestyle. To in any way prohibit him from expressing and explaining this teaching might easily be construed as a breach of his own rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religious belief, rights that are enshrined in international law, and I think it would certainly qualify as an example of direct discrimination on the grounds of religion under the Equality Act 2010. In addition, a straightforward reading of the foundation of the College would suggest that, in his role as chaplain, he is in fact mandated to ensure that pupils understand this teaching and consider its historical, social and theological foundations and importance.”
‘Blow for free speech and Christian freedoms’
Responding to the result, Dr Randall said that he planned to appeal: “I am extremely disappointed at this result. It is a personal blow, but more importantly, it is a blow for all those who believe in freedom of speech, in freedom of religion, and in an educational system which opens the minds of young people rather than narrowing them or imposing an ideology that many or most in our society find troubling.
“It is a foundational principle of a truly democratic society that the free exchange of ideas is good for everyone.
“In this case, mainstream Christian beliefs about marriage are held by a minority in society, albeit a substantial one. They are hardly extreme: they arise out of God’s deep love for all people, and his desire for full human flourishing. They deserve to be taken seriously.
“On the other hand, the beliefs of gender identity ideology are themselves held by a minority, and are controversial to say the least. They also deserve to be taken seriously. However, it cannot be right for a school to teach them as if they are undisputable facts, and to shut down those who wish to take an open thoughtful approach to the well-being of young people.
“No belief is above scrutiny or discussion which respects the integrity of those who hold beliefs different than our own. But discussion needs different voices to be heard. Knee-jerk rejection of beliefs with which we disagree, and the demonisation of those who hold them, has no place in a modern democracy. It certainly does not reflect the love for our neighbours which Jesus wants us to show.
“The Tribunal’s ruling makes the free exchange of ideas in schools, and in wider society much harder. I understood that the whole point of the Equality Act is to protect minorities. It feels today as if Christians are one minority who are not afforded that protection, and I believe that is wrong on every level.”
‘You cannot disagree with LGBT teaching’
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, who backed Dr Randall’s case, said: “We cannot permit this judgment to stand. It is neither a rational judgment nor an impartial one. It reads as a promotional piece for Queer theory.
“This judgment is tragic for Dr Randall but we are encouraging him and all faithful clergy and lay members in the Church of England who believe in biblical truth to stand firm. This outcome is not the end of the matter. We will not rest until this kind of censorship of biblical teaching ends.
“The message from this judgment to Christians is you cannot disagree or express disagreement with LGBT teaching – you must comply, celebrate and promote. It is not enough to be tolerant and liberal in the original sense of those words. You have to actively promote and celebrate.
“Extreme LGBT groups, like Educate and Celebrate, who want to confuse and influence young children with extreme LGBT ideology and ‘smash heteronormativity’, should never be allowed into UK schools. Schools and the CofE are putting thousands of children at risk of long-term damage if the influence of these groups continues .
“Bernard is kind, intelligent and is not a safeguarding risk to anyone. It is the rise of LGBT ideology and activism within the Church of England that is the ‘risk’ to good and faithful clergy.
“For a moderate and considered sermon by a CofE clergy, reflecting the CofE’s own teaching on marriage in a CofE chapel in a CofE school, Bernard was reported a terrorist, blacklisted as a safeguarding risk to children and was hounded out of his employment.
“It has been appalling how the CofE hierarchy has stood back and watched one of its own clergy being crushed by the prevailing secular orthodoxy on human sexuality.
“We will fight for justice for as long as it takes.”
+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page
[3] Maya Forstater to Give Expert Evidence in Teacher ‘Misgendering’ Case
Maya Forstater, who won a landmark legal case over the freedom to say that individuals cannot change their biological sex, is set to give expert evidence at a hearing involving a teacher who faces losing their career for allegedly ‘misgendering.’
In January, Joshua Sutcliffe, 32, who is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, faced a series of allegations before a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) professional conduct panel in Coventry.
Allegations included the Maths teacher calling Muhammad a “false prophet” on his personal YouTube channel and ‘misgendering’ a pupil who self-identified as a ‘boy’ in his class.
The hearing in January was adjourned until Monday 27 February to allow Ms Forstater, and experienced head teacher, Edmund Matyjasek, to give evidence to assist the committee.
The outcome of the hearing could result in Mr Sutcliffe being struck off and unable to teach again in a school.
Mr Sutcliffe’s case follows an escalating and disturbing trend of professionals and members of the public losing their jobs or being prosecuted by the police for ‘misgendering.’
It is anticipated that Ms Forstater will provide evidence on the compelled use of preferred pronouns and the dangers of schools adopting policies affirming trans and other gender identities.
Following extensive research, Ms Forstater has written about the importance of clarity about sex, arguing among other things that: being a man or a woman is a matter of biological sex, not gender or gender identity; the claim “transwomen are women” is not literally true.
She argues that people need to be able to speak clearly about sex, particularly in situations where sex matters, for example in spaces where women undress and sleep, which she says should remain single-sex in order to protect them.
Furthermore, the Sex Matters executive director believes that children with gender identity disorders should not be given puberty blockers as minors.
Suspended for ‘misgendering’
In 2017, Joshua made headlines after taking legal action against Cherwell school in Oxfordshire after he was suspended and eventually dismissed for allegedly ‘misgendering’ a female student, ‘Pupil A’, that self-identified as a boy.
He agreed to try to use the Pupil’s name only, however on one occasion he did not use a preferred pronoun. He immediately apologised when he realised ‘Pupil A’ was in the group of female students he addressed.
Nonetheless, Joshua was subsequently suspended despite having an exemplary teaching performance record and being popular with senior management, parents and pupils.
Joshua maintains that he had had no training on trans and ‘misgendering’ issues and that school bosses sought to ‘intimidate’ him into submission or resignation.
When the story broke in the media, former Conservative Party chairman Lord Tebbit said: “It seems to me this is a mad world when someone is disciplined for stating a biological fact.”
An investigation in December 2017, however, alleged that Joshua had ‘misgendered’ the Oxford pupil which the school said broke its policy on equality. Joshua denied he had ‘misgendered’ anyone and told the head teacher he did “not share [his] belief in the ideology of transgenderism” and subsequently took legal action for constructive dismissal and discrimination.
Joshua, who also regularly preaches on the street and says he has given out over 2,000 Bibles to members of the public, said he had been “placed on the altar of ‘cancel culture’”. He said he was unlawfully targeted and punished by the school because he had been vocal about his evangelical Christian beliefs.
The case was later settled out of court.
Forced to resign for critiquing Islam
In November 2019, Joshua was forced to resign from another school, St Aloysius in North London, over views he posted on his personal YouTube channel.
An active evangelist outside of work, Joshua, whose videos include his views about the Bible and Christianity, alleged that he was “constructively dismissed” from the Catholic school in Islington where he had been teaching for over a year after he “made a video in which [he] said ‘Muhammad is a false prophet’.”
In the video, he said: “I would suggest that Muslims have a false understanding of God because they’ve been led by a false prophet,” and that “the fruit of Islam is not peace, it’s division.”
Other allegations brought by the TRA include Joshua being accused by Cherwell bosses of sharing his belief that same-sex marriage is wrong after he was asked for his views by a pupil. Joshua was asked for his views during a Bible group session he had set up as part of the Christian Union he had started at the school.
In January, Joshua gave evidence to the hearing citing a statement made by then-Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, during the passage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill that: “Any teacher, if asked direct or invited to share his view by a parent or a student, is perfectly at liberty to say, with equal marriage – as with adultery, divorce or abortion – what their own moral view might be.”
‘Freedom of religion in Britain’
At the hearing in January, international Christian theologian and registered Court Expert Witness, Dr Martin Parsons, provided expert evidence on the range of theological issues raised in the case, including on issues of transgenderism:
“The beliefs of Mr Sutcliffe in relation to transgender and which were the subject of investigation, disciplinary procedures and dismissal by Cherwell School are based on his Evangelical Christian faith. They reflect Christian doctrine that God created man as distinctively male and female and that the body is a unity, which cannot be divided between genetic sex and gender. These are beliefs which are shared by a significant number of other Evangelical Christians as well as many Catholics.”
His evidence concluded, stating:
“Christians are required as a matter of biblical obedience to obey secular authorities. However, where the state demands obedience in matters which specifically conflicts with the teaching of the Bible, Evangelical Christians are likely to understand themselves as having a biblical duty “to obey God rather than man” – even if this means suffering persecution. Prior to 1689 when the Toleration Act was passed, a significant number of Bible believing Christians in Britain were prepared to face execution, with thousands more subject to imprisonment for their faith.
“However, the understanding that there are legitimate separate spheres for church and state and the enshrining of these in aspects of constitutional law, led to the establishment of freedom of religion in Britain, which later spread to other countries of the world.”
Discrimination
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “The TRA is targeting an exceptional teacher because his Christian beliefs do not fall in line with the prevailing secular orthodoxy which cannot tolerate any dissent.
“For loving Jesus, speaking truth in his personal time, and responding to questions from students on the Christian faith, he is being hounded out of the teaching profession.
“With critical shortages of teachers in the profession, why are the TRA so determined to force a high-performing teacher out for their Christian beliefs?
“The very notion of ‘misgendering’ is completely undefinable, what can be wrong in stating a biological fact?
“We hope the TRA panel will take on board this crucial expert evidence and deliver justice for Joshua this week.”
+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page
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