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November 28, 2023

A theology lecturer fired from his job at a faith-based college in the U.K. over a tweet on biblical sexuality has filed a lawsuit against the Methodist school.

This spring, Aaron Edwards was ousted from Cliff College in Derbyshire for allegedly bringing the school into “disrepute” over a post to X formerly known as Twitter that addressed sexuality from a Christian perspective.

Listen to them on the latestepisodeof Quick Start ?

The 37-year-old professor has since filed a lawsuit against the school, supported by the Christian Legal Centre. He is claiming he was harassed, discriminated against, and unfairly dismissed.

Edwards’ legal representatives plan to argue their client’s rights under the European Convention of Human Rights were violated, according to a statement from the CLC.

As CBN Digital originally reported, Edwards wrote in March that homosexuality “is invading the church.”

Homosexuality is invading the Church.

Evangelicals no longer see the severity of this b/c they're busy apologising 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.— Aaron Edwards (@aaron_p_edwards) February 19, 2023

In the wake of the post, the lecturing professor faced online abuse, suspension, and was even threatened with being reported to Prevent, a counter-terrorism program all during Cliff College’s investigation into the matter. Ultimately, he was fired from his job.

Shortly after his termination, Edwards told CBN Digital he and his family were enduring a “challenging time,” describing his ouster as “very stressful.”

“At the same time,” he added, “I’ve been telling many people how blessed I’ve felt by God throughout it genuinely. I know people tend to say that a lot, but it’s unbelievable how much, when you go through the mire, God is right there with you.”

As for the post itself, he said at the time, “I stand by the language. I think it’s biblical to speak strongly and sternly, even, about holiness issues and Gospel issues when they really hit the foundations of our faith.”

“That’s why I tweeted what I tweeted,” Edwards added. “It was the context of what is going on in the church and the pressure from the LGBT lobbying agendas coming into the church, many leaders pretending disingenuous, I would say that they are using the Bible afresh in light of what’s happening in the world.”

He went on to note that many seeker-friendly institutions are shifting their positions on sexuality “because they want to placate the world” rather than stay true to biblical teaching.

“The motives are clearly world-affirming,” he noted, “and that’s what I find particularly abhorrent about the situation.”

This situation with Edwards is a microcosm of a larger problem within the Methodist Church in Britain, which, in June 2021, voted to allow same-sex marriages within its places of worship.

Cliff College Principal Rev. Ashley Cooper, who supported the decision in 2021, led the disciplinary hearing against Edwards.

You can listen to our full conversation with Edwards in the video above. His case is set for a full employment tribunal hearing next year.

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