Bernard Randall, 53, has been reinstated as a school chaplain after a seven-year legal campaign stemming from a sermon he delivered in 2019 at Trent College, a private school in Derbyshire.
During the sermon, Randall told pupils that marriage is between a biological man and a woman. This address followed a visit from an external group called Educate and Celebrate, which reportedly aimed to embed "queer theory" at the school and used the phrase "smash heteronormativity." The now-defunct charity Educate and Celebrate was later shut down by the Charity Commission in 2024, and its founders were convicted of child sex offenses.
Following his sermon, Randall was banned from preaching by the Diocese of Derby and blacklisted by senior clergy within the Church of England. Staff at Trent College also reported Randall to Prevent, the government's counter-terrorism program, without his knowledge. Randall maintained that his sermon was intended to encourage debate among students, who were gathered in an Anglican Chapel at the time.
Randall stated that he was treated "like a criminal" for upholding Christian teaching in a Christian setting. He expressed relief at the settlement but noted that the seven years lost cannot be recovered. Randall's legal team argued that senior clergy, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury, delayed his case.
The Christian Legal Centre, which supported Randall, described his case as "extraordinary and disturbing," highlighting that secular bodies vindicated him, while the Church of England, which should have provided support, repeatedly failed him. Randall was reportedly punished for preaching a sermon rooted in Church of England doctrine.