View a graphic representation of episcopal inflation in the Church of England

The problems of the Anglican Communion are being sorted out by its leaders, the bishops - well, those bishops who have decided not to boycott the Lambeth Conference. There are still quite a few of them at the Anglican pow-wow: 650 out of a possible 800 worldwide. They are currently enjoying a retreat in Canterbury Cathedral, a sort of holy lock-in. Forgive the heretical thought, but how much would it matter if that ancient edifice suddenly collapsed on the lot of them? Might Christian culture actually be a bit better off?

In the experience of the Church of England, bishops are hardly the key to religious renewal. The number of bishops has more than doubled in the past century, and Anglican allegiance has more than halved. Maybe bishops put the English off their religion.

In the early 19th century there were just 26 bishops. Gradually new dioceses were created, to cater for the rapidly growing cities. But the real episcopal expansion came from the rise of junior, “suffragan” bishops to help out in the larger dioceses. In 1888 an Act was passed that allowed suffragan bishops to be created, and soon every diocesan bishop wanted one, like a new fashion of mitre.

After the Second World War, still more of these sub-bishops seemed necessary. In the Sixties there was a particular mania for reorganisation, and nine new bishoprics popped up. The new bishops were part of the Church's attempt to renew its national role for a new era. But in reality church attendance had just begun its sharp descent. Thus began the familiar pattern: dwindling congregations with more holy bureaucrats to manage the decline.

The English have a funny relationship with bishops. We almost got rid of them in the 16th century, we briefly abolished them in the 17th century (and cut the Archbishop of Canterbury's head off). There's no denying their historical importance: it was antipathy to bishops that galvanised the parliamentary party in the civil war, and the same antipathy subsequently launched England's Nonconformist tradition that played such a key role in Liberal politics. We have certainly been shaped by our episcopal tradition - but as much in the breach as the observance.

Anglicanism is the only form of Protestantism to take bishops so seriously. And this has been a cause of huge internal division. The Anglo-Catholic wing has a tendency to idolise them, as a spiritual elite descended from the Apostles, and the evangelicals are wary of the office - but of course they see it as their humble duty to occupy it rather than cede power to the Anglo-Catholics.

Amid all the media coverage that the Anglican bishops receive, we should remember that their claim to represent British Christians is dubious. The truth is that the majority find bishops a turn-off, and are detached from the institutional Church. In the 2001 Census, 72 per cent of Britons identified themselves as Christian - even though only about 7 per cent regularly attend church (of any denomination). For many of us, bishops represent a pre-modern form of Christianity, rooted in nostalgia for a powerful, authoritarian Church. They are not the means to a renewal of Christian culture in Britain - rather they stand in the way, perpetuating the impression that this religion is wedded to illiberalism.

The godfather of our anti-episcopal tradition is Milton. Four hundred years after his birth, we should stop to think what he would have made of the international episcopal palaver at Canterbury. “Why are you still clinging to this feudal relic, this tired dream of holy authority?” he might ask. “Why can't you see that the gospel spurns hierarchy, and calls us to freedom?”

Theo Hobson is the author of Against Establishment: An Anglican Polemic

Times Recommends

• How did she get the insurance?
• Protesting against Charles? Bonkers
• Will a degree help an anxious patient?