MORE than a third of Church of Scotland ministers do not believe in the virgin birth of Christ, a central tenet of Christian faith.

A Sunday Times survey of kirk ministers found that 37% believe the traditional story of Jesus’s birth, which forms part of the nativity, should not be taken literally.

St Luke’s gospel recounts how Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and was told that she would give birth to the son of God.

However many ministers said they believed that, like the resurrection, the virgin birth should be interpreted metaphorically rather than as a description of actual events.

Earlier this month the second most senior churchman in England said Britain could no longer be considered a Christian country. David Hope, the Archbishop of York, cited a lack of faith in the virgin birth as an example of the increasing secularisation of the country.

Rev Peter Donald, convenor of the kirk’s panel of doctrine, said he found it “concerning” that so many ministers did not believe in the virgin birth.

“My own fear is that if we are free to theologise and make opinions on God that are far from where the church stands, then we run the risk of making the church in our own image — ignoring all that has gone before,” he said.

The Sunday Times contacted 140 ministers and asked if they believed in a literal interpretation of the virgin birth. Of those, 52 said they believed it was “symbolic”.

There was a geographical split with most ministers in the Highlands and islands favouring a literal interpretation while those in the central belt were more sceptical.

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