A volunteer prison chaplain and gardener, who resigned from his post after accusations of reading "homophobic" Bible verses to prisoners, has lost his case for unfair dismissal at the employment tribunal.
Pentecostal minister, Reverend Barry Trayhorn, from Bedfordshire, UK, had read 1 Corinthians 6, verses 9-11 to inmates at HMP Littlehey in 2014. Upon hearing the verses, gay prisoners were offended and complained about him.
The 51-year-old chaplain told the tribunal in one the hearings that he was informed of "some sort of campaign" to remove him from the chapel services at prison because of his quotes from the Bible.
Reverend Trayhorn, who also worked as a gardener at the prison, faced complaints about his gardening work as well, after he preached about God's word on 'sin and repentance.'
The employment tribunal banned him from volunteering in chapel services, after which he resigned from his position as a gardener in November 2014.
He raised his plea for unfair treatment on account of his faith before the tribunal, but was rejected on March 10 after months of trials.
In his appeal, the reverend had claimed that he was discriminated against and could not change his beliefs according to society.
He said that the passages were about God's love, and how he wanted to forgive people of all their sins.
"But I fear and do not believe it is right to alter the Christian faith so as to tailor it to any modern view of sexual ethics," he had told the disciplinary hearing.
After preaching the inmates back then, he recalled telling them, "You may want to complain about this, but this is the word of God, God loves you and wants to forgive you."
Reverend Trayhorn was charged for not being sensitive to differing views in the congregation.
Responding to the verdict, Trayhorn said: "This case is alarming on a number of fronts. The tribunal's reasoning was based on the effect that my message, which included the Bible verses, had on those who heard them. Yet those who attend chapel do so voluntarily to worship God and to learn what the Bible has to say. The congregation know that the Bible will be preached on, and therefore complaints should have been considered in light of that."
"This decision has two very worrying consequences: Firstly, the tribunal has effectively said that inmates will no longer be able to listen to sermons preached from the Bible which could change their behavior for the better, as they become Christians and God transforms their lives.
"Secondly, this case is a warning shot to church leaders across the land that the ever growing political correctness will soon be hitting pulpits and if congregations do not like what they hear about sexuality, complaints will be made."
During his trial, the reverend experienced a suspected nervous breakdown. "It was during my illness that I fully realized that I had been subjected to discrimination because of my Christian beliefs."
"I believe that the Bible is God's word and contains truths about how we should behave. The Bible explains that everyone is a sinner in God's eyes and deserves judgement for the wrong things they have done, but that if people repent and believe that the Lord Jesus has died as a sacrifice for their sins, they will be forgiven by God and have eternal life," he said.
