Is an Established Church Morally Defensible?

Mar 27, 2026

Guest

Charlie Bączyk-Bell

Guest

Jonathan Chaplin

Guest

Andrew Copson

Charlie Bączyk-Bell, a Southwark priest urging reform and dialogue. Jonathan Chaplin, an Anglican political theologian who supports disestablishment. Andrew Copson, Humanists UK leader and secularism advocate. They debate the Church of England’s constitutional role, its legal exemptions, whether establishment protects or harms pluralism, and proposals for reform or separation from the state.

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INSIGHT

Establishment Misrepresents National Identity

Andrew Copson argues establishment is fraudulent because the Church of England misrepresents a non-Christian majority as if the nation were Christian.
He cites church-run state schools using taxpayer funding while giving admission preference to Christian families as a concrete consequence of establishment.

INSIGHT

Practical Defence That Establishment Works

Bishop David Walker defends establishment on pragmatic grounds: it 'works' and gives bishops moral voice in the Lords.
He points to his own campaigning (a private member's bill on care leavers) and faith leader feedback as evidence of practical impact.

ANECDOTE

Local Churches Growing Through Creative Outreach

Bishop David Walker gives local examples of successful, growing Anglican congregations in Manchester and Rochdale that started from zero.
He describes converting a former Chinese restaurant into a church drawing around 150 weekly attendees as evidence of outreach potential.

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The Church of England marks a historic moment: the installation of its first female Archbishop of Canterbury. A symbol, many would say, of progress in an institution often accused of resisting it. And yet, even as she takes office, around 600 churches reportedly refuse to recognise the authority of ordained women. For them, this is not prejudice but principle. An adherence to theological conviction.

It comes amid fresh scrutiny about the Church’s place in national life - from Prince William signalling a more modern, personal relationship with it, to the Green Party reopening the question of disestablishment. The Church of England is not just a religious body. As the established church, it is entwined with the state. Its bishops sit in Parliament. Its role extends, at least in theory, to the whole nation. It claims to be “a church for everyone.” And yet it operates with exemptions from equality law, particularly in its approach to women’s leadership and same-sex relationships. Defenders argue that religious freedom must include the freedom to dissent from prevailing social norms. Critics counter that an institution with constitutional privilege cannot also claim the right to discriminate.

But there is a further tension. The Church speaks as a national institution at a time when fewer people identify with it at all. Attendance has declined steadily. Belief itself is becoming more marginal in a society that is increasingly secular. For many citizens, religion is not just optional but irrelevant.

So what does establishment mean in such a society? Should the Church be brought into line with equality law or separated from the state altogether? And more fundamentally: can an established church still claim moral authority in a nation that is steadily moving away from it?

Chair: William Crawley. Panel: Carmody Grey, Tim Stanley, Mona Siddiqui and Anne McElvoy. Witnesses: Andrew Copson, Bishop David Walker, Jonathan Chaplin and Rev Charlie Bączyk-Bell. Producer: Dan Tierney Assistant producer: Jay Unger Editor: Tim Pemberton.