The Rev David McCarthy, director of St Silas' Church in Glasgow, which represents the Scottish Anglican Network, said yesterday that many church-goers on Easter Sunday were "appalled" by the bishops' "painful" statement.

"What the bishops have said is a move from what the Church has traditionally taught and a move away from what the Bible teaches us. I think probably the situation is this: the bishops have placed us in a situation where there's a split that's going on in a few different ways of seeing the gospel.

"I think we would probably have to take some kind of action which reflects our unhappiness and our concern. We see ourselves as being in the long-standing tradition of Scottish Episcopalianism. We would be the ones holding on to orthodoxy. We don't want to split; we want the bishops to retract their statement and discuss the issue within the Church."

Although the evangelical wing is a minority, it includes some of the wealthiest and best-attended churches in Scotland. It believes the bishops' statement will jeopardise ecumenical work with other Churches and could hasten the Episcopal Church's eviction from the Anglican Communion.

If this occurs, the evangelical wing has stated its loyalty lies with the wider Anglican Communion, whose line on homosexuals mirrors that of the Church of England, which will ordain gay people, but only if they are not in a physical relationship.

The e-mail poses the following questions to bishops: "Do you feel able to withdraw your statement, and make it clear that it is not acceptable for clergy to be in a sexual relationship, outside that of a man and a woman in marriage?

"If you are able to do this, how do you then propose to take discussions forward? We neither need nor desire protracted discussions. Both the Church and the world needs clarity on our position.

"If you are not able to do this, how do you propose to organise the Church in such a way that those holding orthodox and mainstream views on this matter are able to remain, be cared for, and not be compromised?"

The issue has caused turmoil ever since the Episcopal Church of North America ordained a practising gay man, Gene Robinson, as the Bishop of New Hampshire. The action resulted in the Church being asked to withdraw from the Anglican Communion for the next three years.

Mike Parker, the general secretary of the Evangelical Alliance, and a canon in the Scottish Episcopal Church, who also signed the e-mail, said a battle was now going on within the Church over the contemporary relevance of the Bible. He said: "There are people who are comfortable with the ordination of people in active homosexual relationships at one end, and there are people like myself who are deeply opposed to that on the grounds that there are standards of moral behaviour that are set out in scripture that are inappropriate for us to change."

The College of Bishops' statement last week has already been attacked by the American Anglican Council. The AAC, which represents thousands of members in the US, described the statement as "on a slippery slope, theologically".

A spokesman for the Scottish Episcopal Church said last night: "An e-mail was sent which the bishops are only becoming aware of now, given their commitment to the celebration of Easter on Sunday. A private meeting has been arranged between some of the bishops and evangelical members of the Church who have expressed their concerns.

"This is part of the commitment to discussion across difference intimated in the bishops' statement. To comment further on the agenda for this meeting would be inappropriate."

END