Christian student wins appeal after being thrown off university course

A Christian student was wrongly expelled from university for his views on gay marriage, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

Felix Ngole was a student in the MA programme in social work at the University of Sheffield until he was expelled for sharing comments on Facebook saying, “the Bible and God identify homosexuality as a sin.”

Ngole then challenged the issue in court, filing a lawsuit against the university.

Three appellate judges announced they had overturned the 2017 decision of Deputy High Court Judge Rowena Collins Rice, who ruled that Ngole’s comments disqualified him from being a social worker, saying that “social workers have considerable power over the lives of vulnerable service users and trust is a precious professional commodity.”

After the original 2017 ruling, Ngole told the BBC that “it sends a chilling message that if you are a Christian and you hold traditional Christian views you should be careful not to express them because you might end up losing your job.”

After winning his appeal, Ngole said: “This is great news, not only for me and my family, but for everyone who cares about freedom of speech, especially for those working in or studying for caring professions.”

“As Christians we are called to serve others and to care for everyone, yet publicly and privately we must also be free to express our beliefs and what the Bible says without fear of losing our livelihoods.”

Ngole’s case will be heard again at a later date by the University of Sheffield panel to determine if he is fit to practice social work.