Philip North, the bishop of Burnley, accuses church of allowing its agenda to be set by academics, elites and the secular media

The bishop of Burnley has lambasted the Church of England for adopting a “middle class culture” and failing to listen to the marginalised working class voices behind the vote for Brexit.

The church had jumped on “the middle-class establishment bandwagon of outrage and horror”, Philip North wrote in the Church Times. “As if set to auto-pilot, the C of E has joined in with those who are decrying the collapse of the liberal consensus and bemoaning a new mood of division in our public life.”

North accused the church of allowing its agenda to be “set not by the poor, but by academics, the moneyed elites and certain sections of the secular media”.



The C of E had become so disconnected from deprived communities “that it no longer hears what they are saying, let alone amplifies their voices to the nation”.



This would continue unless the church focused on urban ministry, putting its best leaders in deprived parishes and returning to estates it had abandoned, he said.



North’s comments came as Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, called on the country to resist turning inwards after the Brexit vote, saying what was needed was “a more beautiful and better common narrative that shapes and inspires us with a common purpose”.

Opening a debate on shared British values in the House of Lords, Welby said great times of change in mood and culture demanded a “re-imagining of what we are about as a nation”.

But North said Pope Francis’s call for a “poor church for the poor” did not mean “top-down charitable projects, many of which bolster pre-existing relationships of power and collude with innately unjust power structures. Instead, he was calling the church to allow its agenda to be set by the voices of the dispossessed and forgotten, not by the powerful. We may not always like what we hear.”



The C of E should focus on family, place and work, North said. It should stand up for the sanctity of the family, a “core preoccupation” for most people, in which they found support, self-identity and purpose.



It should play a part in “finding a new and unifying national narrative that is patriotic, besides tolerant and inclusive”. And it should make “a stand for the dignity of work and for justice in the workplace. One rarely hears a sermon on work,” he added.



“It is vital that we stop condemning, and instead listen to the voices of those who have used their democratic right to express a deep-seated frustration at structures and institutions that have abandoned them, and at a middle-class culture that misunderstands or misrepresents their heartfelt concerns.”



He said the church’s concentration on sexuality was an example of middle-class preoccupations. “By prioritising this one issue to such an extent, we risk failing to hear other cries of pain.”



In the Lords debate on shared values underpinning national life, Welby called for a renewal of fundamental British values.

“Values built on feelings of threat and fear can lead us down a very dangerous path,” he said. “As we move into a post-Brexit world, alongside the other events that buffet and deflect us, unless we ground ourselves in a clear course and widely accepted practices, loyalties and values we will just go with the wind.”



The leader of the C of E added: “We need a more beautiful and better common narrative that shapes and inspires us with a common purpose – a vaulting national ambition, not a sense of division and antagonism, both domestically and internationally.



“We need a narrative that speaks to the world of bright hope and not mere optimism, let alone simple self interest.



“That will enable us to play a powerful, hopeful and confident role around the world, resisting the turn inward that will leave us alone in the darkness, despairing and vulnerable.”



Welby reiterated the importance of freedom of expression both for people of faith and those of no faith, as a review by the Equality and Human Rights Commission concluded that the law on religion and belief was generally effective but a lack of understanding had led to misinterpretation and confusion.

Although individuals with and without religious or other beliefs were offered adequate protection by the Equality Act, new guidance was needed to help employers understand how to apply the law on issues such as time off to pray, workplace Christmas parties and the wearing of religious symbols.



“Our review finds that the law works well. There are a lot of myths that have arisen due to misunderstanding of legal requirements,” said David Isaac, the commission’s chair.



“Employers’ actions shouldn’t be governed by a fear of causing offence. Our guidance will help managers and businesses reach decisions and approach sensitive discussions in the right way.”

