Chaplain at £40,000-a-year Trent College was reported to counter-terror police after telling pupils they should question LGBT ideology in the same way they did Brexit

• Rev Randall has since referred to the Church as ‘complete with burning heretics’ 

A college chaplain who worked at the University of Cambridge has launched legal action against a £40,000-per-year school after it sacked him and referred him to counter-terror police over a sermon in which he questioned new LGBT+ policies.

The Reverend Dr Bernard Randall told pupils at Trent College they were allowed to question LGBT+ issues in the same way as they did Brexit, and claimed telling students they must accept them was akin to saying they ‘must be Muslim’.

Rev Randall, 51, who previously worked at Trinity College, Cambridge, was referred to the government’s anti-radicalisation programme before being made redundant in 2020. His referral to Prevent was later dismissed as it found there was ‘no counter terrorism risk, or risk of radicalisation’ in Rev Randall’s message.

He previously launched an employment tribunal claim that he had been unfairly dismissed by his post, but this was dismissed in February after it was ruled there was no evidence to support Rev Randall’s suggestion the new policies would ‘indoctrinate’ pupils. 

Now he is accusing the school and its headteacher Bill Penty of victimisation, harassment and discrimination on grounds of his Christian beliefs, the Telegraph reports. 

The Reverend Dr Bernard Randall told pupils at Trent College they were allowed to question LGBT+ issues in the same way as they did Brexit , and claimed telling students they must accept them was akin to saying they ‘must be Muslim’

Since being made redundant, Rev Randall has accused the Church of being ‘ersatz’ and ‘complete with burning heretics’.

In his sermon, the chaplain told students: ‘You do not have to accept the ideas and ideologies of LGBT activists. Indeed, since Trent exists ‘to educate boys and girls according to the protestant and Evangelical principles of the Church of England’, anyone who tells you that you must accept contrary principles is jeopardising the school’s charitable status, and therefore its very existence. 

‘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 – to both of which I’m sure most of you would quite rightly object.’

He added: ‘By all means discuss, have a reasoned debate about beliefs, but while it’s OK to try and persuade each other, no one should be told they must accept an ideology. 

‘Love the person, even where you profoundly dislike the ideas. Don’t denigrate a person simply for having opinions and beliefs which you don’t share.’

It came after the school began working with an organisation called Educate & Celebrate (E&C) – which the Church of England cites as an approved resource – which aimed to help ‘develop a whole-school LGBT+ inclusive curriculum’.

Now he is accusing the school and its headteacher Bill Penty of victimisation, harassment and discrimination on grounds of his Christian beliefs

During investigations by the school and the diocese, Dr Randall repeatedly raised that his beliefs on marriage and sexuality were based on CofE public liturgy.

However, the employment tribunal’s Judge Butler suggested that Dr Randall had ‘misconceived’ what E&C is and that he had ‘an extreme reaction’ to their involvement within the school.

She said: ‘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.’ She added the decision to refer Dr Randall to the terror watchdog was justified ‘from a safeguarding perspective’.

Dr Randall’s claims for unfair dismissal, discrimination, harassment and victimisation were all rejected. He is appealing against the decision.

He is being supported in his new claim by Christian Concern. 

Trent College and representatives for Rev Randall have been contacted for comment.

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