Rev Dr Bernard Randall, the Anglican clergyman at the centre of a six year dispute with his own church, has accused the Church of England of being “a corporate machine, more concerned with appearances and tick-boxing than showing basic Christian virtues”.
Dr Randall’s troubles began when he was working as a chaplain at Trent College in Derbyshire. The school invited campaign group Educate and Celebrate to teach staff how to “embed gender, gender identity and sexual orientation into the fabric” of their interactions with students.
In response, Dr Randall delivered a sermon to the children in which he said “you should no more be told you have to accept LGBT ideology than you should be told you must be in favour of Brexit, or must be Muslim".
The school leadership objected and eventually sacked him. Dr Randall was even secretly referred to the government’s anti-extremism task force Prevent, who later concluded that there was nothing objectionable about his comments.
The Church of England backed the school's decision, despite what he said not being in contradiction to its own doctrine. Dr Randall remains blacklisted by the Church of England as a safeguarding risk and is not permitted to preach in its churches.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, he opened up about the strain that the ordeal has had on him and his family emotionally and financially, describing the last six years as "devastating", with "long periods of despair and hopelessness".
The mental toll has been so severe that Dr Randall said he even considered taking his own life at the General Synod - the Church's parliamentary meeting - as an act of protest, but was stopped by the thought that it would make no difference.
He told the newspaper, "Because of the way the Church has treated me, we can't move on. Once, I started thinking about self-immolating on the floor of General Synod [the church's ruling body] as a protest.
"The tears came when I realised they'd just put it down as an unfortunate incident, and then carry on in the same way as before."
Dr Randall has appealed to the Church at its very highest levels to restore him to ministry, but to no avail.
“I have been punished not for wrongdoing, but for believing," he said.
"The Church's safeguarding process has become a tool of coercion, not care. I am speaking out because I know I am not alone, and because no one should suffer in silence for staying true to their faith.
“I have been treated as guilty without accusation or evidence, and pressured to renounce my beliefs to be deemed safe. Despite no complainant, no evidence and no allegation of misconduct, I have been treated as a risk.”
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Derby said: “The Diocese of Derby is working with Dr Randall to address concerns which he has raised, and is following House of Bishops’ guidance in doing so.
“We have therefore asked that Dr Randall continues to work with the ongoing process, so that it can be concluded as soon as possible.”
