Sir Cliff Richard marked the 50th anniversary of his start in showbusiness yesterday with the publication of a book containing his top 50 Bible stories for children.

The pop star, a devout Anglican, said that the Church of England could overcome its present difficulties over gays and declining attendance by letting go of the intellectual approach to faith and learning to keep it simple.

“I have always had a simplistic approach to faith because it is so simple to me,” he told a press conference of mostly Christian journalists at the Methodist Church Central Hall in Westminster, London.

Naming the story of Joseph and his coat of many colours as one of his favourites, he said all children should be given the chance to read the Bible. Western society was built on rules that come from the Bible, he said. Never to open a Bible or attempt to read it was “almost criminal”.

Other stories in the book, written by Brian Sibley, include the great flood, the walls of Jericho, Daniel and the lions, the story of Ruth, the loaves and fishes and the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus.

Sir Cliff, who has had 14 British number one hits, a record beaten only by Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Westlife, was named recently in the Cambridge academic journal Popular Music as a latter-day messiah with characteristics resembling those of Jesus Christ. But the pop star made clear yesterday that he regards himself merely as a follower of Jesus, rather than a potential saviour of the Church.

Sir Cliff, who has never hidden his faith and who donates to charity all profits from any work he does in relation to his religion, said the secret of success for pop stars in a business known for its short-termism was to remain relevant and up to date with new technology.

He admitted it was much more difficult for the Church, which according to figures published yesterday by the organisation Christian Research will be barely viable by the year 2050 and will be overtaken by mosque attendance within a generation. But he continued: “The Church has to remain relevant ... I often admire America, they have a spirituality that we seem to have lost.

“When 9/11 happened the first thing Bush did was call America to prayer.” He added: “Maybe we have lost that simple touch, that simple knowing that God exists, that we can approach Him.”

The other problem for the churches was that Britain had become a multiracial, multicultural country. While freedom of religion was a good thing, if the churches want to grow they had to become more “combative” and “prove that this is a relevant faith, this is a rational, viable, relevant philosophy.”

He was also critical of the Anglican Church's approach to the debate over homosexuality, currently driving it to schism. Sir Cliff, who is on the Church's evangelical wing, said it was not up to the Church to judge homosexuals. He said: “It seems to me that the Church is going to have to start seeing people as people and have God be the judge.” He said he had many gay friends, some who had been in committed relationships for 50 years. The Church moved on from condoning slavery, and there had to be a way for it to move on from its impasse over gays. The answer was to “just take away the intellect” and let the heart deal with it, he said.

Describing how he is writing his autobiography, he said he had no regrets about not having children of his own. His nieces, nephews and now great-nieces and great-nephews kept him busy, and he had learnt to value how they came to love him before knowing he was a pop star. Although he had once envisaged marrying and having children, it simply “didn't happen”.

He also had no desire to pass on his genes. “My sisters have carried on the genes. There are enough genes flying around from my background.” Lifting up the book, 50Favourite Bible Stories, he said he had never been happier. “We are slowly getting to the point where I do not have to retire, but I can just do what I want to do,” he said.