Evangelicals unconvinced by Church’s establishment

ALMOST TWO THIRDS, 64 per cent of evangelicals are either in favour or undecided over the disestablishment of the Church of England, according to a survey from the Evangelical Alliance.

The survey of over 1,700 evangelical Christians asked respondents to rate their views on faith in British society.

The survey found that 93 per cent of respondents agreed that they were ‘somewhat’ to ‘very’ proud of Britain’s Christian heritage. Though when asked how far they agreed with the statement that ‘It is time for the Church of England to be disestablished’, 27 per cent of respondents either ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’, with a further 37 per cent ‘neither disagreeing or agreeing’ and 13 per cent ‘strongly disagreeing’.

When asked how far they agreed that ‘the attempt to define British values is a reflection of Britain’s current identity crisis’, 63 per cent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed, and 68 per cent agreed that ‘ Cultural and ethnic diversity in local communities has enriched everyday life.’

Twenty eight per cent of respondents said that being a Christian is ‘not important’ to ‘being truly British’.

The strongest views came from respondents asked to rate their response to ‘Policies designed to counter extremism may make it harder for Christians to express their faith in public’, of which 82 per cent either agreed or strongly agreed.

Dr Dave Landrum, director of advocacy for the Evangelical Alliance, commented: “Many people value the legacy that our country is built on, yet it seems that today we’re trying to build our social values on nothing but fresh air and good intentions.

“If we want to restore values to the heart of British society we need to remember where they came from. If we want to continue to enjoy the fruits of our freedoms, we need to acknowledge the roots,” he added.

Respondents were also asked to rate their response to questions on education. Ninety seven per cent of evangelical respondents agreed that ‘Not to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexuality and disability’, should be compulsorily taught in all schools, while 82 per cent either disagreed, or strongly disagreed, that ‘All schools, including faith schools, should present same-sex marriage as equal to heterosexual marriage’.

Dr Dave Landrum told The Church of England Newspaper that the survey shows that evangelicals are able to differentiate between sexuality issues and issues relating to the redefinition of marriage.

“While it is encouraging that there is strong support for schools to teach that there should not be discrimination on the basis of sexuality (as well as gender, race and disability), it is also encouraging that there is strong opposition to same-sex marriage being presented in the curriculum as being equal to heterosexual marriage.”

Explaining the Churches’ all inclusive stance whilst presenting a more discriminatory position on single sex marriage has long presented its contradictions to Christian gender politics.

A 2013 Church of England survey of headteachers, responding to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s commissioning of homophobic bullying guidance in Church schools, found that respondents wished to see further guidance on which position Christians should be advocating.

Headteachers said ‘ How to explain sensitively to gay pupils the Church of England’s stance on gay marriage’ needed further direction.