Three senior academic staff are leaving Wycliffe College just months after five others left in controversial circumstances.
The Principal of Wycliffe, the Rev Dr Richard Turnbull, has confirmed that three staff are set to leave as controversy continues to cloud the Oxford theological school since the new Principal was appointed.Dr Turnbull has come under-fire as he has overseen doctrinal change since taking over leadership of the college, CEN has reported.
The three senior members set to depart now are Dr Elaine Storkey, formerly senior research fellow in social philosophy, the Rev Dr Andrew Goddard, tutor in Christian Ethics, and his wife, the Rev Lis Goddard, who was tutor in Ministerial Formation.
The Principal has told CEN that the departures have been agreed by the college and were in the “best interests of the college”.
He added: “Andrew and Lis Goddard are still employees at the college but we are negotiating severance terms with them. Elaine Storkey is no longer employed by the college and we are also seeking agreement on terms of severance with her.
“We’ve just started the new (academic) year and we’re fully staffed with tutors and teaching staff all who want to be here, and we’ve more than the maximum number of students.
“We’re in great heart and all looking forward to the year ahead. We have already filled a quarter of our places for next year and the number of women students has increased this year, both in actual number and overall proportion.”
Earlier this year Dr Turnbull had to fight off allegations of homophobia following his firm conservative stance on Biblical teachings.
Wycliffe Hall, which is the evangelical school of theology within Oxford University, was condemned by theologian Rev Dr Giles Fraser, who claimed the college had “no love in its heart for the values of learning”.
Dr Turnbull rebuffed the claims that the college is part of a “wave of reactionary evangelicalism”, and highlighted the college’s long record of academic achievement with many students winning academic awards.
