London, England - A leading Church of England theologian is suing the Bishop of Liverpool for religious discrimination on the grounds she was treated as the "wrong kind of Christian".
The case brought by Elaine Storkey, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day broadcasts, is the latest twist in a bitter row at an Oxford theological college, which has pitched conservative evangelical members of the church against their liberal critics. This in turn reflects the deepening divisions between conservative and liberal wings of the Church of England over issues such as the ordination of gay clergy.
It would be a test case on whether Christians can suffer discrimination from their own church on religious grounds. Until now the legislation has been seen as protection for people discriminated against on religious grounds by those who might be prejudiced against their faith - Muslims, for instance, or Catholics in Northern Ireland.
At an employment tribunal yesterday Storkey accepted around £20,000 from Wycliffe Hall after the college authorities acknowledged she had been unfairly dismissed.
But she is pressing ahead with a claim of religious discrimination against the the Rt Rev James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, who is president of the college.
She said after the hearing: "I'm really glad we have agreed on something.
"I was offered a settlement many months ago, but my point was I wanted it to be acknowledged that they had done this wrong to me."
Despite the award, Storkey, the president of Tearfund, an international Christian charity tackling global poverty, is continuing with her claim for religious discrimination.
The case has now been adjourned until June, at which point the three members of an employment tribunal will have to decide whether Storkey's liberal feminist brand of evangelical Anglicanism constitutes a religion, as compared with other evangelicals running Wycliffe Hall. She said she had enjoyed a fruitful relationship at the college until the arrival of a new principal, Richard Turnbull, who held strong conservative views.
Following the resolution of the unfair dismissal claim, Charles Crow, representing Storkey, turned to the remaining matter.
"Within Christian evangelism there are two determinate strands; conservative evangelism and an open and more liberal evangelism," he said.
"Those are open and definable strands and as an open and clear proponent of one of those strands, she [Storkey] has been discriminated against."
However, Bruce Carr, representing the college trustees, attacked that argument, claiming Storkey could not allege discrimination against people of the same faith as her.
He said: "She is not saying 'I'm a Christian and I'm being discriminated against because of my Christianity'.
"She is saying 'I have a particular type of Christian evangelism, which stands distinct from conservative evangelism'.
"To paraphrase, she is the wrong type of evangelical."
Arranging a preliminary tribunal hearing for June 10 this year, Robin Lewis, chairman of the tribunal, highlighted the difficulties inherent in a theological dispute being thrashed out in a secular forum and urged the two parties to reach an agreement.
"One part of the tribunal's regulations was not to resolve theological disputes within certain colleges at Oxford.
"It was to protect people from discrimination.
"I very much hope that the remaining hearing that has been timetabled won't be necessary. I hope that it can be resolved.
"What I would ask the parties is how useful an adjudication might be by the three of us, sitting in this building, on theological matters?"