A Church of England minister who was fired after delivering a sermon affirming traditional Christian beliefs on marriage and biological sex has reached a confidential legal settlement with his former school, concluding a seven-year dispute that saw him reported to police, referred to a counterterrorism program and barred from ministry.

The Rev. Dr. Bernard Randall served for five years as chaplain at Trent College, an independent Christian school in Derbyshire, England.

The controversy began in 2018 after the school partnered with Educate and Celebrate, an outside organization that sought to "smash heteronormativity" and promote queer theory. The organization has since dissolved.

"I objected to [it] at the time it started, and tried to discuss it with the senior leadership, [but] they weren't interested," Randall told Fox News Digital.

According to Randall, concerns intensified after students questioned why they were expected to affirm LGBTQ ideology at a Christian school.

In response, he delivered a chapel sermon in 2019 emphasizing freedom of belief and conscience. Randall told students they were free to hold the traditional Christian view of marriage and biological sex while also respecting classmates who disagreed.

Days later, school administrators summoned him to a meeting, questioned him about the sermon, suspended him and launched an internal investigation.

The school also reported Randall to local police and to Prevent, the United Kingdom's government's counterterrorism program designed to identify potential extremists. Prevent ultimately concluded that Randall posed no terrorist threat.

The Diocese of Derby also designated him a safeguarding risk to children, effectively preventing him from serving in ministry.

Trent College dismissed Randall for gross misconduct. Although he successfully appealed that decision and was reinstated, the school imposed restrictions requiring administrative approval of future chapel messages and limiting what topics he could address.

After being furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Randall was ultimately laid off at the end of 2020.

With support from the Christian Legal Centre, Randall challenged his treatment in court.

Although an employment tribunal initially ruled against him, the Employment Appeal Tribunal later overturned that decision, ordered an entirely new hearing and directed Trent College to pay £20,000 in legal costs.

Before the retrial could proceed, Randall and the school reached a confidential settlement.

Separately, an independent Church of England review conducted by the Diocese of London examined the safeguarding allegations that had prevented Randall from returning to ministry.

The review concluded the allegations were "unsubstantiated" and found no evidence that Randall had caused harm.

Following the ruling, Randall said he was grateful to have his name cleared but lamented the years he lost while unable to serve as a minister.

"I encouraged pupils to think, to debate, and to love their neighbors whatever they believed. No minister, teacher or chaplain should be punished for upholding Christian teaching in a Christian setting," he said.

Randall also criticized the Church of England's handling of his case.

"The people who should support you most are the ones doing you harm," he told Fox News Digital.

Despite the personal cost, Randall said he does not regret defending his beliefs.

"It's as Jesus said, what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?" he said. "It matters to stand up and be counted and tell the truth. And that was more important than just an easy, comfortable life."

The case has become part of a broader debate over freedom of speech and religious expression in the United Kingdom.

"I think most people in Britain still value free speech," he said. "It used to be in this country, when somebody said something that we thought was a bit strange or odd, [we'd say], 'Oh well, it's a free country.' I don't hear people saying that anymore."

He also welcomed criticism from American officials who have raised concerns about free speech protections in the United Kingdom.

"I know that our American cousins and the people in the White House are looking at Britain and raising the question of free speech," Randall said. "That has to be a good thing because it doesn't hurt to have our friends from across the Atlantic offer a bit of advice about why it matters that free speech is so important and freedom of conscience, that these things really, really matter."

Although Randall has completed the safeguarding requirements necessary to return to ministry, he is still awaiting permission from the Bishop of Derby, Libby Lane, to officiate again.

Watch his interview.

Two previously unknown sermons attributed to St. Augustine, one of Christianity's most influential theologians, have been authenticated by scholars, offering rare new insight into the thinking of one of the Church's most important early leaders.

The sermons were discovered in a 12th-century medieval manuscript by Christian Tornau, a professor of Latin at the University of Würzburg in Germany. After nearly two years of research, Tornau and his colleagues concluded that the texts are authentic works of Augustine and are preparing them for publication.

St. Augustine, who lived from A.D. 354 to 430, served as bishop of Hippo Regius in present-day Algeria and is one of the most highly regarded Church Fathers. His writings have shaped Christian theology for more than 1,500 years, influencing doctrines on grace, free will, sin and salvation.

According to the University of Würzburg, the manuscript was copied at Bad Doberan Abbey in what is now Germany during the 12th century from an earlier manuscript that has since been lost.

The discovery began in 2024 when a representative of the monastery's preservation association asked Tornau to decipher the manuscript. Of its six sermons, two had never been identified before.

The newly authenticated sermons focus on the biblical account of King Saul and the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28.

In that passage, Saul seeks out a medium to summon the deceased prophet Samuel before a decisive battle with the Philistines. Samuel foretells Saul's death, raising theological questions about why God would permit what appears to be an act of forbidden or demonic power.

According to Tornau, Augustine's treatment of the story contains an interpretation not found elsewhere in his surviving works.

The first sermon, preached during a Sunday service, introduces the theological dilemma, while the second, delivered several days later, examines possible explanations.

What most surprised researchers was Augustine's apparent willingness to entertain the possibility that Saul repented after hearing Samuel's prophecy and was ultimately saved.

"This is unparalleled in Augustine and in ancient Christianity in general, where we find a very negative image of Saul," Tornau told Fox News Digital. "Augustine suggests it ... and clearly takes it seriously."

Tornau said Augustine may have reached the conclusion independently or been influenced by Jewish rabbinic traditions that portrayed Saul more sympathetically.

"In any event, it is indicative of Augustine's independence of mind and his willingness to think everyone, even those who appear most evil, is capable of salvation through the grace of God," he said.

"This combines intellectual honesty and episcopal humility in a remarkable and very Augustinian way."

Researchers initially questioned whether the sermons were genuine because portions of the text did not immediately resemble Augustine's familiar style.

"We were fascinated, of course, by the idea of having found new sermons of Augustine, but soon turned skeptical because in some places the sermons did not seem to read like Augustine," Tornau said.

However, after extensive study, the team concluded there were "no serious objections" to Augustine's authorship.

"Our final verdict is that they are indeed authentic," Tornau said.

Scholars also pointed to several clues supporting the sermons' authenticity. The texts reflect a style of Christian liturgy associated with late-antique North Africa, including a concluding prayer found only in that region during Augustine's lifetime.

Tornau also noted that the author demonstrates a deep familiarity with Augustine's theology without merely copying his known writings—a characteristic researchers say argues in favor of authenticity rather than forgery.

Although the manuscript itself dates to the 12th century, scholars believe it faithfully preserves sermons preached roughly 800 years earlier.

Once published, the newly authenticated texts are expected to become a significant addition to the surviving corpus of one of Christianity's most studied theologians, offering historians and theologians fresh material to examine Augustine's views on repentance, divine grace and the possibility of redemption even for those who appear beyond hope.

At least 28 civilians were killed and several others injured after suspected Fulani militants attacked a predominantly Christian community in Nigeria's Kaduna State early Monday morning, according to local sources and Christian advocacy organizations.

The assault occurred shortly after midnight in the Kamaru village cluster in Kauru Local Government Area, where gunmen reportedly stormed a neighborhood, killing entire families, burning homes and businesses, and leaving survivors to bury their dead.

According to casualty lists shared with the Daily Caller by individuals familiar with the attack, at least 28 people were killed, several others were wounded, one home was destroyed, and four businesses were set ablaze.

"Southern Kaduna bleeds heavily again," one local source said, describing a region that has experienced repeated attacks by Islamist extremists targeting Christian communities and moderate Muslims.

The latest massacre comes just weeks after nine civilians, including children, were reportedly killed in the same community in mid-June.

Video and reports circulating from the scene indicate the attackers were believed to be members of the Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM), a loosely organized network of armed militants drawn from the predominantly Muslim Fulani ethnic group.

A nearby resident told Nigerian conflict reporter Masara Kim that he awoke to approximately three hours of sustained gunfire. According to the witness, military personnel stationed nearby did not intervene while the attack was underway.

Kim reported that security forces did not arrive until after the killings had ended, prompting angry confrontations with survivors before local clergy helped calm tensions and facilitate preparations for the victims' burials.

The resident estimated that about 29 people were killed and confirmed local reports identifying the attackers as Fulani militants.

Although Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) often receive greater international attention, Christian advocacy groups argue that the Fulani Ethnic Militia has become one of Nigeria's deadliest sources of civilian violence.

According to advocacy organization Open Doors, nearly 10 Christians are killed every day in Nigeria because of their faith.

Researchers and religious freedom advocates estimate the Fulani Ethnic Militia is responsible for roughly 44% of civilian killings in the country, making it deadlier than many internationally recognized terrorist organizations operating in the region.

Despite those claims, the group has not been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States.

Several Republican lawmakers have urged the Trump administration to add the militia to the State Department's terrorist list, arguing that doing so would strengthen efforts to combat the violence.

"This should send a clear message to the Trump administration that the Nigerian government is not dealing with the terrorists that are killing Christians," Judd Saul, president of Truth Nigeria and the Christian advocacy group Equipping the Persecuted, told the Daily Caller.

Saul also said local observers had warned authorities before Monday's attack.

"Our team issued terror alerts prior to these attacks, yet the Nigerian government once again failed to intervene," he said.

The Nigerian government has consistently disputed claims that an organized Fulani terrorist organization exists, with officials often characterizing the violence as a combination of farmer-herder conflicts, criminal banditry and localized communal disputes rather than coordinated religious terrorism.

The latest attack follows another deadly incident Sunday in neighboring Plateau State, where suspected militants attacked Christians attending church. According to local reports, Nigerian soldiers intervened during that assault, though one soldier was killed. More than 50 people have reportedly died in attacks across Plateau State since the beginning of June.

The Trump administration has continued to pressure Nigeria through diplomatic and economic channels to improve security while expanding intelligence sharing and counterterrorism cooperation with the West African nation.

The Justice Department has issued updated religious liberty guidance for federal agencies, adding new language on parental rights and incorporating a series of recent Supreme Court decisions that strengthened protections for religious Americans.

Released Thursday, the revised guidance updates a 2017 DOJ document and directs executive branch agencies to respect religious exercise when carrying out federal policy.

“Religious liberty is one of our nation’s founding principles and a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “It is essential that federal agencies fully respect and protect the ability of all Americans to live out their faith in daily life, including in their interactions with the federal government.”

The updated document follows a June recommendation from the DOJ’s Religious Liberty Commission urging President Donald Trump to direct the department to clarify the proper understanding of the Establishment Clause and the separation of church and state.

It was also released eight days after Blanche faced a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over his nomination to lead the department.

The most significant addition to the guidance is a new principle declaring that the government may not interfere with parents’ right to direct the religious upbringing and education of their children.

“This right extends beyond a mere right to teach religion in the confines of one’s home and encompasses the choices parents make for their children outside the home,” the guidance states.

It adds that government policies substantially interfering with children’s religious development may violate parental rights and warns that public benefits, including public education, cannot be conditioned on parents surrendering their religious freedom.

The language reflects recent Supreme Court rulings on parental authority, religious education and government neutrality toward faith.

Among the cases cited is Mahmoud v. Taylor, in which the Supreme Court sided with parents seeking to remove their children from LGBT classroom instruction that conflicted with their religious beliefs.

The guidance also references Carson v. Makin, which held that Maine could not exclude religious schools from a tuition-assistance program available to other private schools, and Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which protected a public high school football coach who prayed on the field after games.

Other cited decisions include Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which ruled in favor of a Catholic foster care organization excluded from a city program because it would not certify same-sex couples as foster parents, and Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which found that state officials displayed unconstitutional hostility toward a Christian baker’s religious beliefs.

“A law is not neutral if, in its application, the government ‘proceeds in a manner intolerant of religious beliefs or restricts practices because of their religious nature,’” the guidance states, citing Fulton.

It also warns that a law may violate religious liberty when its enforcement is accompanied by “official expressions of hostility to religion,” language drawn from the Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling.

The document further cites Groff v. DeJoy, which strengthened workplace protections for employees seeking religious accommodations, and Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor Review Commission, which rejected Wisconsin’s attempt to deny a Catholic charitable organization a religious tax exemption because officials considered its work insufficiently religious.

The broader principles contained in the 2017 guidance remain intact.

Those provisions classify religious liberty as “a fundamental right of paramount importance” and state that the government may not single out religious conduct or speech for unfavorable treatment. They also protect the internal autonomy of religious organizations and outline safeguards available under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Kelly Shackelford, president of First Liberty Institute, praised the update as another step in the Trump administration’s effort to strengthen protections for people of faith.

“This updated guidance will ensure that the federal government will respect the religious liberty rights of all Americans when implementing the President’s policies,” Shackelford said.

Read the updated guidance in full.