A BBC Radio 4 contributor is suing one of the Church of England’s most distinguished training colleges for religious discrimination, claiming that she was bullied out of her job.

Dr Elaine Storkey, who regularly features in the Today programme’s “Thought for the Day” slot, was dismissed from her post at Wycliffe Hall, part of Oxford University, last year.

She claims that conditions there worsened after the appointment of a new principal, Dr Richard Turnbull, and that she was the victim of a battle at the hall between two different strands of Christian evangelism. Dr Storkey, a prominent theologian and the president of the global poverty charity Tearfund, accepted a settlement of up to £20,000 from her former employer yesterday after Wycliffe Hall admitted that her dismissal had been unfair.

She will now seek a ruling of religious discrimination against the Right Rev James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, who is chairman of the hall’s trustees.

After an employment tribunal prehearing in Reading, Dr Storkey said she was pleased that the issue of her unfair dismissal had been resolved.

Robin Lewis, sitting as chairman of the prehearing review, estimated that the award she has won could amount to as much as £20,000.

However, Dr Storkey is continuing to press her claim that she was the victim of religious discrimination at Wycliffe Hall. At a full hearing, which is now scheduled for June, her lawyer will argue that Dr Storkey’s evangelical stance constitutes a religion that is distinct from other evangelists.

The decision of the three-person tribunal could have far-reaching implications within religious circles.

Dr Storkey claims that conditions worsened at Wycliffe Hall with the appointment in 2005 of Dr Turnbull as the new principal. Six members of staff resigned from the college, alleging that it was being taken down a conservative evangelical path.

Dr Storkey, who is chairman of the liberal evangelist group Fulcrum, brought about a formal complaint.

“There was a grievance procedure, which had been heard and which I felt had treated me unfairly and I had appealed”, she said. “I was waiting for the appeal to be heard but instead of it being heard, I was dismissed.”

Bruce Carr, representing the trustees of Wycliffe Hall, acknowledged this version of events, adding: “The respondent accepts that the dismissal of the claimant was unfair.”

Charles Crow, representing Dr Storkey, then turned to the issue of alleged religious discrimination. “Within Christian evangelism there are two strands; conservative evangelism and an open and more liberal evangelism,” he said. “As an open and clear proponent of one of those strands, [Dr Storkey] has been discriminated against.”

Mr Carr rejected that, saying Dr Storkey could not allege discrimination against people of the same faith as her. “She is not saying, ‘I’m being discriminated against because of my Christianity’,” he said. “She is saying, ‘I have a particular type of Christian evangelism.’ To paraphrase, she is the wrong type of evangelical.”

Mr Lewis urged both parties to reach an agreement before the full hearing, pointing out the difficulties in attempting to resolve a theological dispute in an employment tribunal.

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