5/14/2024 England (International Christian Concern) — Felix Ngole, a health care worker living in England, said he was denied a job at a British health care provider after the staff uncovered statements he made on social media years earlier expressing his biblical perspective on gender and sexuality. The decision came after the employer, Touchstone Support, had already determined that Ngole was the best candidate for the position.
Ngole is now suing Touchstone Support at an employment tribunal in Leeds, England.
“I was told I was the best candidate for the job, then suddenly I found I was unemployable because they discovered that I am a Christian,” Ngole said after the first court hearing this April.
“No one has ever told me that I have not treated them well in my professional experience. I have never been accused of forcing my beliefs on anyone. I have supported vulnerable individuals from all backgrounds, including LGBT.”
This is not Ngole’s first time facing persecution. A native of Cameroon, Ngole fled his home country because of his faith and became a refugee in England. He was pursuing a master’s degree in 2014 when he commented on Facebook, where he discussed the biblical view of sexuality, citing the books of Leviticus and Matthew. Three months later, an anonymous complaint to his university led to his expulsion. A British court ruled in 2019 that the school “wrongly confused the expression of religious views with the notion of discrimination” and that expressing theological views on what defined sin does not mean a person “will discriminate on such grounds.”
It was a landmark case for free speech and religious freedom in England. And it would not be the last time Ngole would suffer consequences for expressing his religious beliefs.
Describing his initial interview with Touchstone, Ngole said he “was delighted to be invited to the interview so that I could showcase my skills. I saw it as a step closer to my dream job. It was a brilliant interview; I was greeted warmly, and they were really kind to me. I was offered the job, and they were already talking to me about my first day and who my line manager would be.”
Then, Touchstone learned the details about Ngole’s legal case with his university.
“When I received the email telling me that the job had been withdrawn, it was a shock,” Ngole said. “I was very confused and distraught, and I wanted to know why. The reasons they gave for withdrawing the job offer were an attack on me and my faith. They made it seem that 100% of the people I would be helping would be LGBT and that I had to pledge allegiance to the LGBT flag and forget about my Christian beliefs.”
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