A conservative bishop has accused the Church of England of "being oblivious to the obvious" over the links between theology and growth.
The Rt Rev Rod Thomas, Bishop of Maidstone, pointed to research that suggested traditional teaching fuelled an increase in attendance. He said this "confirms the obvious" as he called on the CofE to maintain its opposition to same-sex relationships, even if it risks its status as the institutional Church.
The research from Canada was backed up by figures from the conservative church in the UK which reported a startling growth amid the broader decline of the CofE. Those with ties to the conservative grouping Reform grew in average weekly attendance at a rate of between three and four per cent year on year for the past five years, Christian Today exclusively revealed last week. This compares to a decline of between one and two per cent yearly across the wider CofE.
"This should be a great encouragement to us in the Church of England as we recognize that our core business is to bring the truth of the gospel to the nation," Thomas wrote on Anglican Ink.
He accused the Church of becoming caught up "with issues of pastoral reorganization and the reform of ministerial training rather than theology". He said the distraction of "remaining relevant" dominated the discussion over sexuality.
"Christian faith tends to thrive when it is distinct from the prevailing culture," he wrote. "A Christianity that merely recycles the norms and values of the prevailing culture renders itself irrelevant and subservient."
He added: "If a more liberal agenda on sexuality is adopted by the Church of England, there will certainly be a fundamental breach with historic Christian teaching and the majority of the wider Anglican Communion, but in addition, the hope of future growth will be entirely misplaced."
He concluded: "We have to recognise that God's Word is not always popular and therefore there will be times when we have to put our civic and institutional involvement at risk."
