A new “landmark” survey of English priests—the first of its kind in almost a decade—has allowed the clergy to reveal its increasingly liberal views on marriage and sexual matters.
Well over half (62.6%) of those polled by The Times said the Church of England should drop its opposition to premarital sex. They said this climbdown should only apply to people in “committed relationships,” in what comes across as a fairly flimsy attempt to continue looking firm on the subject.
A slightly higher percentage (64.5%) of priests said the worldwide Anglican teaching that “homosexual practice is incompatible with scripture” should come to an end. So too should the ban on gay priests entering into civil marriages, according to 63.3% of those polled.
The Times reported that a majority of priests want the Anglican church to stop its official opposition to homosexuality. One, Reverend Andrew Foreshew-Cain, told the paper that all these results show there is a “wide majority for change” and that he is positive about this. The Bishop of Leeds is equally optimistic, claiming that the survey shows priests are not “detached in an ivory tower, but really wrestling—thoughtfully and prayerfully—with the kinds of questions our society is also addressing.”
Church officials, he added, should not worry about “seeking popularity” and shouldn’t worry about “going against the flow of popular culture,” although all these results go very much with the flow. Yet almost 15% of those surveyed still said they were likely to stop holding a service every Sunday in ten years’ time. Just over 6% said their church has already ceased hosting worship every Sunday.
Around 6% of the active English clergy—mostly vicars, rectors, curates, chaplains, and retired priests who still serve—responded to the survey by The Times (1,436, to be exact). The survey also pointed to changing attitudes towards the role of women, with the possibility of a female Archbishop of Canterbury now backed by more than 80% of priests.
Few Britons will be surprised to learn of these results due to recent reports on the Church of England. Even fewer are likely to care; almost three-quarters of the priests polled admitted that Britain is no longer a Christian country. This is palpably true, given that the average age of Christians in England and Wales recently rose to over 50 for the first time, and only a small proportion of younger people could be described as abiding by Christian teachings as they currently stand.
