22 APRIL 2006, Page 28

From Nicholas White

Sir: What surprised me about your survey was the high proportion of respondents who professed to believe that Jesus physically rose from the dead. However, the Bishop of Oxford is quoted as saying that Jesus was raised as a spiritual body, and he quotes none other than St Paul, in I Corinthians xv, to support his argument. One of the reasons why millions of people stay away from church is that they do not consider it necessary to believe that a dead body came back to life. If Christian churches were prepared to open their doors to those who believe in a spiritual rather than a physical resurrection, they might attract more people to their services.

Nicholas White

Sevenoaks, Kent