"James Hacker : Humphrey, what's a Modernist in the Church of England? Sir Humphrey Appleby : Ah, well, the word "Modernist" is code for non-believer. James H

"James Hacker : Humphrey, what's a Modernist in the Church of England? Sir Humphrey Appleby : Ah, well, the word "Modernist" is code for non-believer. James Hacker : You mean an atheist? Sir Humphrey Appleby : No, Prime Minister. An atheist clergyman couldn't continue to draw his stipend. So, when they stop believing in God, they call themselves "Modernists". James Hacker : How could the Church of England suggest an atheist as Bishop of Bury St Edmunds? Sir Humphrey Appleby : Well, very easily. The Church of England is primarily a social organization, not a religious one. James Hacker : Is it? Sir Humphrey Appleby : Oh yes. It's part of the rich social fabric of this country. So bishops need to be the sorts of chaps who speak properly and know which knife and fork to use. The sort of people one can look up to."