Fired for defending marriage – this case just got a lot bigger!
Dr Aaron Edwards is a theologian, author, and father of seven. Three years ago, Cliff College in Derbyshire – a Methodist Bible college where he had lectured for seven years – sacked him for a single post on X defending the biblical view of marriage. I first interviewed him shortly after his dismissal. He sat down with me again recently to share a significant legal development. I’d encourage you to watch the full interview here.
Here is what has happened and why it matters. Dr Edwards was fired in 2023 after posting that “homosexuality is invading the Church” during the Church of England’s debate on same-sex blessings. The college demanded he delete the post. He refused on grounds of conscience. They dismissed him for “bringing the college into disrepute” and even considered referring him to the Government’s counter-terrorism programme, Prevent.
With the support of the Christian Legal Centre, Dr Edwards took the college to an Employment Tribunal on grounds of discrimination, harassment, and unfair dismissal. Despite seven days in court and extensive evidence in his favour, the tribunal dismissed every claim, ruling that the college was entitled to protect its ‘brand’. A remarkable justification for a Bible college to silence biblical teaching.
Dr Edwards appealed. On 22 January 2026, at a hearing at the Rolls Building in London, the Employment Appeal Tribunal granted him substantially expanded grounds of appeal. Crucially, the judge upgraded the case to Category A, recognising it carries wider public implications and could set legal precedent. In simple terms: this case just got a lot bigger. The full appeal hearing is now expected in early 2027.
The personal toll has been heavy. Dr Edwards has not worked as an academic lecturer since his dismissal. He was hospitalised with cardiac symptoms caused by stress. His family had to leave their home. Yet he remains resolute. He says in the interview: “It is the abolition of marriage ultimately. It is an ideology that’s coming in to say we want to just expand marriage into something else. And when you do that you actually just abolish what marriage is.”
He also captures the doublespeak at the heart of the problem. Cliff College’s leaders claimed to hold traditional convictions on marriage while refusing to defend them. Dr Edwards calls this “contradictory convictions” and says plainly: “It is cowardice, ultimately, because they would say, ‘Oh, we wouldn’t put it that strongly.’ Why wouldn’t you put it that strongly?”
Coalition for Marriage exists to stand up for the truth that marriage – the lifelong union of one man and one woman – is the gold standard for families and for society. When people like Dr Edwards pay a heavy price for saying what millions believe, C4M is here to ensure that voice is not silenced.