This is not a Monty Python Sketch

 Did you know that in the organization that calls itself a Church, the CofE, one cannot expound upon the organization's own standards for marriage (which still align with traditional Christian teaching) in a sermon for children? 

If you do, you will lose your job, and get referred to a counter terrorism program!

That's what happened to one poor chap in the U. K.

Read all about it at Christian Concern,

New revelations have raised serious concern over the ongoing blacklisting of the Rev. Dr Bernard Randall, for a sermon in which he said it was ok for children to debate and disagree with gender identity teaching.

Dr Randall, who is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, was dismissed as chaplain at Trent College in Derbyshire and then referred to the UK’s counter-terrorism programme, Prevent, after delivering a sermon in a CofE chapel in a CofE school on the CofE’s teaching on marriage.

The sermon followed the invitation of discredited and controversial group Educate and Celebrate into the Christian school to promote, in their words, the need to ‘smash heteronormativity’, to even nursery aged children.

The sermon was given six years ago, no one claimed that they were harmed, but he remains blacklisted by his bishop. 

A review was ordered which led to this interesting exchange,

As part of the ‘new’ safeguarding process and investigation into Dr Randall, a meeting was held in June with ‘independent’ CofE safeguarding adviser, Lee Elliot, and Bishop of Repton, Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton, the Bishop of Derby’s deputy.

The purpose of the meeting was for the CofE to put their allegations to Dr Randall and allow him to provide a formal response. Although this meeting is a basic part of Church safeguarding processes, Dr Randall repeatedly had to request that it even happen.

Bishop Malcolm read a statement to Dr Randall where it was claimed Dr Randall remains a risk based on what he might say in future sermons. It was suggested his sermon and beliefs could cause emotional and spiritual harm.

When pressed for evidence and justification for this, Mr Elliot cited a now-overturned employment tribunal ruling that had been declared “unsafe” due to anti-Christian bias.

Following the statement read to him, Dr Randall asked what the nature of the alleged abuse is and who the victim is.

Mr Elliot said: “There is no named victim…the school has not supplied that.”

Dr Randall asked: “So how do we know there is a victim?”

Mr Elliott also referred to Dr Randall’s Christian beliefs as ‘your views.’

Dr Randall responded by saying that his sermon reflected official Church of England doctrine, not personal opinion:

“These are not my views… they are the teachings of the Church of England”, he said.

Mr Elliot said: “My understanding is that there are different parts of the Church of England that have different views and beliefs around the various sexual orientations.”

Elliot further claimed that saying “things that are controversial … could significantly lead to harm”. When challenged on how controversial views could be a safeguarding issue Mr Elliott brought the discussion to an abrupt close. Mr Elliott also went on the record as not answering questions.

This is not a Monty Python sketch.  

Does anyone wonder why the CofE is in freefall?