Monday 4 June 2007

What is Happening to Our Seminaries and Theological Colleges? Part 2


On the same day the announcement of the resignation of James Emery White as President of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary was made, another peice of news made it to the press across the Atlantic!


Unholy row at Oxford's college for clergy amid staff exodus and claims of bullying
· Concern at theology school's new direction
· Governing council backs under-fire principal

Stephen Bates, religious affairs correspondent
Wednesday May 16, 2007


One of England's most respected theological colleges is facing claims that staff feel bullied and intimidated as the institution becomes increasingly conservative.

The discontent at Wycliffe Hall, an evangelical Anglican college which is part of Oxford University, has seen several resignations among its small academic staff and claims that one of its most prominent members, the regular Thought for the Day contributor Elaine Storkey, was threatened with disciplinary action.

The college has been accused of becoming more theologically conservative, more hostile to women's ordination and more homophobic since the appointment of its principal, Richard Turnbull, a vicar from Basingstoke and a former accountant without senior academic managerial experience, two years ago.

Last night, the governing council announced it had launched an internal review and pledged support for Dr Turnbull. The dispute at Wycliffe, which is a permanent private hall that has been able to matriculate its own theology students as members of the university since 1996, could not have come at a more awkward time. Oxford is conducting an internal review into such halls, most of which are religious foundations, amid concerns about their academic standards, facilities and intellectual openness.

A document circulating among staff claims: "The college is in chaos following a barrage of resignations, forcing a crisis meeting of the governing body to limit the damage to the college's reputation... From September 2007, Wycliffe Hall will have lost all its best loved and most respected staff members. Turnbull will replace them all with conservative evangelicals. More than half the teaching staff have resigned this year. Most will not be replaced in time for the opening of the next academic year...the college will not be capable of teaching its regular curriculum."

The document alleges that when Dr Storkey raised concerns about increasing tensions inside the college at a closed meeting, she was sent a letter by the principal by courier to her home demanding her appearance before a disciplinary tribunal. Dr Storkey, who is on sabbatical, refused to comment, saying only: "There is some substance to that."

The document also claims: "The staff were initially shocked and then outraged at this outrageous attempt to intimidate Storkey into submission, which has backfired totally. Every member of the entire teaching staff except one wrote to the governing body complaining of intimidation and demanding a meeting with them to air their concerns. This was turned down. James Jones [the Bishop of Liverpool and the chair of the college's governing council] made it clear he would back Turnbull whatever he did."

Those who have resigned include the director of pastoral studies, the director of studies, tutors in liturgy and evangelism and the college's vice-principal and tutor in New Testament studies. A resignation letter to Dr Turnbull by Philip Johnston, former director of studies and tutor in Old Testament and Hebrew, seen by the Guardian, says: "I am no longer able to be part of the college's leadership team...you intend to exercise leadership without significant regard for your staff colleagues, whether those you have inherited or those you yourself appointed and whether within the senior management team or outside it."

The dispute appears to mirror splits in worldwide Anglicanism - and the Church of England - over theology and homosexuality, which have been aggressively led by conservative evangelical groups.

Dr Turnbull denies being a member of conservative evangelical pressure groups, although he did sign a covenant launched last December by leaders of such groups threatening to stop associating with more liberal churches and reject the authority of bishops they disagree with.

He declined to comment to the Guardian due to ongoing disciplinary and grievance procedures which he said were taking place at Wycliffe Hall. Bishop Jones was unavailable, but a council statement said the changes were "unsettling".

It added: "Wycliffe is committed to maintaining its evangelical ethos and its international reputation for excellence in theological education, ministerial formation and training for Christian leadership in the church and the world... The council unanimously reiterates its support for the principal. [It] is recruiting record numbers of candidates for this year and the next academic year."

Gospel truths

Wycliffe Hall, which was founded to train Anglican clergy in 1877, has 75 undergraduates, 25 graduates and 13 academic staff. Its former members include Jonathan Aitken, the disgraced former cabinet minister, who studied there for two years after his release from prison, and Donald Coggan, the late Archbishop of Canterbury. It counts two current diocesan bishops, Tom Wright of Durham and James Jones of Liverpool, who now chairs the governing council, among alumni as well as the Rev Nicky Gumbel, vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton and founder of the Alpha Course.

According to its website, the college aims to be "an international centre of evangelical theology which equips, trains and sends out Christian servant leaders who will play their part in channelling the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus into the church, the world and the academy".

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