This report actually has some substantial new facts, i.e the names of the staff resigning. It should be noted that the document it mentions, however, contains allegations about bullying which may or may not be true. Clearly, I would think that an independent review rather than an internal one would be best, as the latter always is open to the charge of "whitewash".
Five academic staff at Wycliffe Hall have resigned in protest at an atmosphere of 'bullying and intimidation', according to a document published this week.
It warns that the theological College faces dire consequences as the remaining tutors will be incapable of providing adequate teaching for students.
The document also claims that the College is becoming increasingly theologically conservative under the leadership of the College's Principal, Rev Dr Richard Turnbull.
The document, entitled 'The Scandal at Wycliffe Hall', has been circulating among staff at the College and describes the current situation as "chaotic". "The last twelve months has seen an attempt to take the College over by a highly conservative evangelical faction who are deliberately driving out longstanding and highly respected staff members," it states. "The College is now in chaos following a barrage of staff resignations, forcing a crisis meeting of the governing body to limit the damage to the College's reputation."
Responding to the concerns raised in the document, Wycliffe's Governing Council announced last Tuesday that it would be embarking on a major review of its governance and that significant changes were expected to be made. The Council also unanimously expressed their support for the Principal.
The document closes with a warning about the repercussions of the current situation. "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 has resigned this year. Most will not be replaced in time for the opening of the academic year 2007-8. The College will not be capable of teaching its regular curriculum."
Since Turnbull's appointment in April 2005, Geoffrey Maughan has resigned as Director of Pastoral Studies, Philip Johnston as Director of Studies, Adrian Turnbull as tutor in liturgy, Krish Kandiah as tutor in evangelism and David Wenham as tutor in the New Testament.
Wenham is planning to leave Oxford this Autumn to work at a college in Bristol, ending a 25 year association with Wycliffe Hall. He refused to reveal his reasons for resigning. "Other than confirming that I resigned as Vice President, I cannot comment any further," he said.
Philip Johnston confirmed that he had resigned from the College management staff but that he was still a tutor in college.
In a letter to the Principal dated 26 March 2007, Johnston informed Turnbull that he would be resigning from his post due to his failure to respect his staff's views when making new appointments to the College, with specific reference to Turnbull's appointment of a new Vice-Principal. He accused him of failing to listen to the staff's overriding view that his candidate was highly unsuitable for the job.
Turnbull has rejected the pamphlet's accusations and questioned its accuracy. "The information I have seen, some for the first time, and the source of which I simply do not know, contains material inaccuracy. However, due to the 'due process' of disciplinary proceedings which are currently in process I am not able to comment any further on the matter," he said.
He added that the allegations that he was a member of several conservative evangelical pressure groups were completely unfounded. "I am not a member of any evangelical pressure group and never have been," he said.
Turnbull was one of nine reverends who drafted the controversial 'Covenant for the Church of England' last December, in an initiative launched by evangelical leaders, which threatened to stop association with more liberal churches and reject the authority of bishops they disagreed with.
The covenant states, "We can no longer associate with teaching that is contrary to the clear teaching of the Scriptures either doctrinally (for example, on the supremacy and uniqueness of Christ) or morally (for example, on issues of gender, sex and marriage), or church leadership which advocates such teaching.
"The covenant expresses a loss of confidence in the institutional centre of the Anglican Church and under the heading, 'Our Action', it warns that "We can no longer be constrained by an over-centralised and increasingly ineffective control that is stifling the natural development of ministry."
Speaking to the Church Times, President of the liberal Anglican organisation Inclusive Church, Revd Dr Giles Fraser, expressed his outrage at the covenant's content. "These rebel churches want to destroy the traditional breadth of the Church of England and turn it into a Puritan sect. They must not be allowed to succeed."
Students at Wycliffe Hall have refused to comment on the current situation. An anonymous undergraduate of the College said, "There are a lot of feelings about this in College. We've been asked not to comment and to let the Principal deal with this."
A spokeswoman for the University said, "These are matters for the Hall's Governing Council. The University, which licenses the seven permanent private halls (PPHs), would expect to be kept fully informed. These allegations are unrelated to the long-term review of the PPHs currently being conducted."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment