A Christian student has been expelled from a university social work course, after he made comments in support of biblical teaching on marriage and sexual ethics in a private conversation on Facebook.
Second year Masters student Felix Ngole, 38, was told, following a ‘Fitness to Practise Committee’ hearing at Sheffield University, that he has been “excluded from further study on a programme leading to a professional qualification” and is “no longer recognised as a University student.”
Felix was told that, by posting his comments on Facebook, the Committee believed that he “may have caused offence to some individuals” and had “transgressed boundaries which are not deemed appropriate for someone entering the social work profession.”
Felix is appealing the decision, supported by the Christian Legal Centre. If the decision is not overturned, it could prevent Felix from becoming a social worker, which he believes is his vocation.
Felix’s case has gained widespread media coverage, including The Times, The Telegraph, The Independent, The Mail and The Express, for giving a Christian witness about marriage.
Felix says that the University’s decision to exclude him effectively creates a “bar to office for Christians” and amounts to “secret policing of Christian belief.”
He adds, “My beliefs about marriage and sexual ethics reflect mainstream, biblical understanding, shared by millions around the world. Simply expressing that understanding, in a personal capacity, on my Facebook page, cannot be allowed to become a bar to serving and helping others in a professional capacity as a social worker.”
Source: Christian Concern