(LifeSiteNews) — Aaron Edwards, a Christian lecturer, appeared in court last week to appeal a Sheffield Tribunal’s decision that upheld his firing from Cliff College, a Bible institution, over a February 2023 post on X (then Twitter) opposing homosexuality.
According to The Christian Post, Edwards had been “defending the biblical view of sexuality in response to a debate in the Church of England … to allow same-sex blessings.”
“Homosexuality is invading the Church,” Edwards wrote on Twitter. “Evangelicals no longer see the severity of this [because] they’re busy apologizing for their apparently barbaric homophobia, whether or not it’s true. This is a ‘Gospel issue,’ by the way. If sin is no longer sin, we no longer need a Saviour.”
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The tweet, predictably, provoked a reaction, and Edwards faced accusations of bigotry. He defended himself as merely expressing “the conservative view” and noted that it is “not homophobic to declare homosexuality sinful.” Cliff College requested that he delete his posts; when he declined, they investigated him and then fired him for “bringing the college into disrepute.”
That a Christian college would state that an instructor publicly defending the biblical view of sexuality “brings them into disrepute” says much about the moral health of that institution. Edwards is arguing that his firing violated his freedom of expression and freedom of religion.
“Three years ago, I was fired by the evangelical college where I had worked as a programme leader and lecturer for seven years, for a single tweet which challenged evangelical reticence to see the severity of homosexuality invading the Church,” Edwards told Christian Concern, which is assisting him in his legal battle.
“Despite having a good academic CV with over a decade of experience in research, lecturing, and leadership, despite numerous publications in internationally respected journals, and a long track record of excellent student feedback, to this day I cannot find suitable full-time employment as an academic lecturer.”
On January 22, he appeared before the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London, requesting that he be able to expand the grounds of his appeal.
“My legal case is essentially about challenging compromise. Cliff College seems to think you can still brand yourself ‘Evangelical’ while thinking or saying nothing about the threat to the Gospel posed by the radical incursions of LGBT ideology into previously faithful denominations, churches and colleges today,” Edwards said. “They fail to see that compromise is a Gospel issue. I hope and pray for justice this week.”
“If Christian academics cannot express orthodox Christian convictions in so-called Christian institutions without fear of sanction, then the legal protections afforded to religious belief are being hollowed out,” said Andrew Wiliams of the Christian Legal Centre, who also noted that Edwards has faced financial difficulty and serious health issues due to stress. “We will stand with Aaron until justice is done.”
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“When the twitterstorm was raging, I knew my career might be the price to pay for standing for truth,” Edwards reflected. “But despite all the stress and disruption the dismissal has caused for my family and I, I do not regret a single word of my tweet. There are times in a Christian’s life when the need of the hour is to speak the truth that needs speaking, when it needs speaking, how it needs speaking. As the apostles said before their accusers, ‘we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard’ (Acts 4:20).”
The Christians who say that he is wrong, Edwards said, “must also think God’s word is wrong, and that Christianity has lost. I am grateful that Christian Concern do not think so, and that they wish to fight on with me in this war against compromise. For too long we have allowed Christian truth to be gnawed at until it becomes barely recognisable from the beliefs and expressions of our forefathers. If Christians are free to speak the truth, we must also be free to challenge the invasions – however subtle – which seek to subvert the truth too.”
