A petition in support of the Rev Dr Bernard Randall has received over 6,000 signatures.
Rev Randall was dismissed by Trent College – a Church of England-affiliated independent school in Nottingham – in 2020 after he preached a sermon to students by which he said they didn’t should agree with LGBT ideology.
He was referred to the federal government’s terrorism prevention scheme Prevent, in addition to the local authority designated officer on safeguarding (LADO), the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). All of those statutory bodies decided there was no must take any motion.
Dr Randall has effectively been barred from preaching within the Church of England ever since, despite the sermon he preached reflecting the official position of the Church of England.
Dr Randall has previously said of his case: “I actually have been punished not for wrongdoing, but for believing.
“The Church’s safeguarding process has turn into a tool of coercion, not care. I’m speaking out now because I do know I’m not alone, and since nobody should suffer in silence for staying true to their faith.”
The churchman has also spoken of how the six-year ordeal has affected his personal life, admitting that at one point he even considered self-immolating on the ground of the General Synod in protest at his treatment.
The petition, on CitizenGo, calls upon the Church of England to apologise to Rev Randall and restore him to ministry.
The petition states, “The Church’s treatment of Bernard raises questions over whether any minister who holds to Biblical views about marriage and sexuality has a future within the denomination. If he could be treated like this, so can anyone.”
It adds, “Every day that he’s prevented from pursuing his vocation adds to the damage the Church of England is causing.”
