Christian lecturer Aaron Edwards appeared in court a week ago, preparing to appeal a decision by a Sheffield Tribunal that upheld his firing from Cliff College, a so-called Bible institution, over a post he published on X in February 2023 that referred to homosexuality as a sin. This may not win me many friends, but I care far more about what God thinks than what man thinks, so I’m going to say it plainly: I completely agree with Edwards.
The Bible makes it clear from cover to cover that homosexuality is a sin, with several passages strongly condemning it as an abomination to God. Homosexuality contradicts the Lord’s created order. God created male and female to go together, like peanut butter and jelly. Two men cannot reproduce, which is the primary purpose of marriage. They do not have the proper biological equipment to create life. Marriage consists of one man and one woman becoming one flesh, procreating, and raising a family together.
Of course, I mean no disrespect to married couples who cannot have children for health reasons. Their marriages still reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church.
Edwards said he wrote the post to defend “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 in his post. “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.”
Predictably, left-leaning Christians reacted with outrage and accused Edwards of bigotry. That word has lost much of its sting, much to the chagrin of radical liberals. When people label everyone they disagree with a bigot, the term loses all meaning. The word “racist” has suffered the same fate for the same reason.
Edwards later explained that he had simply articulated “the conservative view” and emphasized that “declaring homosexuality sinful is not homophobic.” Cliff College reacted furiously to the post and demanded that Edwards remove it immediately. He refused. The college then launched an investigation and ultimately fired him for “bringing the college into disrepute.”
So a Bible college fired a man for defending the Bible. Make that make sense.
Cliff College’s reaction speaks volumes about the institution’s moral health. Edwards is now appealing the ruling, arguing that the decision violated his freedom of expression and freedom of religion. A Christian college persecuting a Christian for upholding Christian teaching is hard to comprehend.
“Three years ago, the evangelical college where I worked as a programme leader and lecturer for seven years fired me for a single tweet that challenged evangelical reluctance to acknowledge the severity of homosexuality invading the Church,” Edwards told Christian Concern, the organization assisting him in his legal fight.
“Despite a strong academic CV, more than a decade of experience in research, lecturing, and leadership, numerous publications in internationally respected journals, and a long record of excellent student feedback, I still cannot find suitable full-time employment as an academic lecturer,” he added.
On January 22, Edwards appeared before the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London and requested permission to expand the grounds of his appeal.
“My legal case essentially challenges compromise,” Edwards told the tribunal. “Cliff College believes it can still brand itself ‘Evangelical’ while saying nothing about the threat to the Gospel posed by radical LGBT ideology invading previously faithful denominations, churches, and colleges. They fail to recognize that compromise itself 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 punishment, then the law is hollowing out legal protections for religious belief,” said Andrew Williams of the Christian Legal Centre. Williams also noted that Edwards has suffered financial hardship and serious health issues due to stress. “We will stand with Aaron until justice is done.”
“When the Twitter storm erupted, I knew standing for the truth might cost me my career,” Edwards said. “But despite the stress and disruption this dismissal has caused my family and me, I do not regret a single word of my tweet. There are moments in a Christian’s life when truth must be spoken—when it needs speaking, how it needs speaking. As the apostles declared before their accusers, ‘we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard’ (Acts 4:20).”
Edwards also addressed Christians who disagree with his position on sexuality, noting that they are not merely disputing him but disputing God Himself.
“These individuals must believe God’s word is wrong and that Christianity has failed,” he said. “I am grateful that Christian Concern does not think so and that they are willing to fight alongside me in this war against compromise. For too long, Christians have allowed truth to be eroded until it barely resembles the faith of our forefathers. If Christians are free to speak the truth, we must also be free to challenge the invasions—however subtle—that seek to undermine it.”
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