England's Version of Israel Folau Wins His Case

I'm overjoyed to learn that there is still some sanity left in the British legal system. I was beginning to have serious doubts.

From Eternity

By Christian Concern UK

Ground-breaking victory for free speech in Court of Appeal

He comes from a ethnic minority, He was expelled from uni for a social media post quoting the Bible on the same subject as Folau. He is not rich or famous. But he has just won a precedent-setting victory.

(The Court of Appeal judgment can be read here It is highlights a finding that the two sides in the dispute had become rapidly polarised. In the light of the Folau case it is interesting to read about the attempts by Pastor Ade Omooba to find a path of compromise. This story comes from supporters of Ngole. The judgment gives a fuller account – UPDATE I have added a key passage in the judgement where it becomes clear the University was seeking to ban Ngole from ANY public statement of his beliefs on sexuality at the end of the article. John Sandeman)

In a landmark judgment, the UK Court of Appeal has upheld the rights of British Christians to freely express their faith by handing victory to former student social worker Felix Ngole.

Overturning a High Court decision to uphold Felix’s expulsion from Sheffield University, the crucial outcome represents a major development of the law. It is now clear that Christians have the legal right to express biblical views on social media and elsewhere in public without fear for their professional careers.

This is the first Court of Appeal judgment regarding freedom of expression of biblical views which sets limits on the rights of professional regulators to restrict free speech on social media. The ruling is an authoritative statement of the law, likely to be relied upon in hundred of current and future cases.

Expelled for quoting the Bible

Felix was expelled in 2016 from his social work course at the University of Sheffield after quoting Bible verses on Facebook that were deemed critical of homosexuality.

In 2015, he had entered into a discussion on Facebook over the imprisonment of Kim Davies, the Kentucky marriage registrar jailed for refusing to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples. During a vigorous online political debate, many views were exchanged on the Christian faith. A devout Christian, Felix quoted Bible verses affirming the traditional Christian opposition to same-sex marriage and of the sinful nature of homosexual activity.

Some months later, Felix was reported anonymously to the University of Sheffield by a fellow student and was subsequently disciplined in a Fitness to Practise hearing. He was informed that he had brought the social work profession into disrepute and was then expelled from the course, losing the career he had worked so hard for.
‘Lacking insight’

In the court hearings, the university argued that Felix had ‘lacked insight’ into the effect of his posts on social media. During his Fitness to Practise hearing, the University had told him that the expression of his Christian views was unacceptable and was effectively told either to renounce his faith or stay silent on pain of losing his career. Yet Felix says he felt he could not surrender his faith.

In some shocking exchanges from the High Court hearing, the University of Sheffield implied that Felix was not allowed to express the Christian viewpoint on same-sex marriage or homosexuality on any public forum, including in a church.

However, the Court of Appeal held that it was the university that was ‘lacking insight’ in not understanding a Christian viewpoint.

In addition, the Court of Appeal lavished praise on Christian Concern co-founder Pastor Ade Omooba MBE for urging that the university seek caution and compromise.