Sporty vicars on a crusade to resurrect ‘muscular Christianity’

THE Church of England is to resurrect the Victorian idea of ‘muscular Christianity’ and use sport as a way of filling its pews.

It yesterday announced plans to hire ‘sports ministers’ and fund sports clubs ‘to reach people who may never have been to church before’.

‘Muscular Christianity’ was popular in the 19th century and holds that physical exercise contributes to moral health as well as fitness. But it fell out of favour because of its links with imperialism.

Now the Church is to spend £2million in Norfolk setting up ten sports churches, running football, netball and fitness groups plus holiday clubs for schoolchildren. It will also fund a boxing club in Anerley, south-east London, in the hope of keeping youngsters away from crime.

The programme is seen as ‘a blueprint for dioceses interested in promoting the Christian faith through sports’.

The sports ministries are part of a £12million scheme to try to pull in new churchgoers. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: ‘These projects are moving the heart of our mission to where it should be, recognising Jesus beyond the borders of the institutional church.’