Pastor’s ban sparks unholy Anglican stoush

SEAN NICHOLLS AND JACQUELINE MALEY

February 13, 2010

A parishioner who says he has been wrongly exiled has placed his faith in the Supreme Court, write Sean Nicholls and Jacqueline Maley.

THE first sign of trouble for Bruce Haddon came at an impromptu meeting with his pastor, the Reverend Dominic Steele, the gregarious but conservative rector of St Aidan’s Anglican Church in Annandale.

Mr Steele informed Mr Haddon that he had become aware, via members of Mr Haddon’s home Bible study group, that he had questioned the accuracy of the Old Testament.

As punishment, Mr Haddon says, he was banned from his ministry role within the church, where he had been appointed to greet parishioners arriving at Sunday evening services.

But it was just a hint of what was to come for Mr Haddon, 58, a divorced management consultant who is embroiled in a bitter battle with the Anglican Church, largely sparked by a single email.

The email, sent two years later in February 2008, contained allegations that Mr Haddon believes implied he was guilty of sexual misconduct towards women in the church.

He claims it is all part of a vicious campaign to force him out of the church because of his liberal beliefs, which grate with the strict Anglican doctrine of the Sydney diocese.

The fight has landed in the Supreme Court of NSW, where next month Mr Haddon is due to begin defamation proceedings against Mr Steele and a parishioner, the Channel Ten journalist Evan Batten, a church councillor. ”It’s deeply disturbing that a church can demand compliance with a narrow set of doctrines then go to such extraordinary lengths to silence dissent,” Mr Haddon told the Herald.

However a spokesman for the diocese said: ”Both Mr Steele as minister and Mr Batten as parish councillor had a duty of care to the young women of the congregation which compelled them to act in the face of complaints. This legal action against them for upholding that duty will be actively and strenuously defended.”

Damaging rumours began to spread shortly after he was banned from duties, Mr Haddon believes, because the congregation was not given an explanation. He asked Mr Steele to clear the air by explaining to the congregation that the ban was on theological grounds, but that was not done.

According to documents filed in the Supreme Court, Mr Haddon attended a meeting with Mr Steele on February 10, 2008 – two years after his ministry ban – where he was told his beliefs were ”having a negative impact on the church family”.

Among Mr Haddon’s beliefs are that the Bible contains factual errors, that women should enjoy equality in worship and marriage and that Jesus was not born of a virgin.

A former parishioner who spoke to the Herald said Mr Haddon made no secret of his un-orthodox and ”dangerous” views. At one point he even circulated a document outlining his theological positions.

Mr Haddon was also told in the meeting Mr Steele had received ”a large number of emails from women [parishioners] complaining that [Mr Haddon]

made them feel uncomfortable”.

Five days later, on February 15, the email written by Mr Steele and Mr Batten was sent to Mr Haddon and about a dozen church members. In it, the pair criticised Mr Haddon’s theology and, Mr Haddon believes, implied he was guilty of sexual misconduct with female parishioners. It also indicated he should not attend the church.

Shortly after, Mr Haddon was formally expelled, he says, without the opportunity to appeal.

“I was forbidden to hand out pencils or stack chairs in church because of my theology,” he said. ”There was no suggestion of misconduct. But with no explanation . rumours quickly spread about what I had done to warrant this harsh disciplinary regime.

”The church finally expelled me because of innuendo their own actions had created.”

The case is set down for hearing in the Supreme Court from March 22.

from http://www.smh.com.au/national/pastors-ban-sparks-unholy-anglican-stoush-20100212-nxm4.html