"Now is the time to revolt," one vicar told The Telegraph. "Ever since the lockdown, I have been going into my church, and I will be doing it again at 10.30am on Easter Sunday," another added.

Warnings of a revolt come after the Most Rev Justin Welby issued a stern warning to members of the clergy and laity in a Youtube message earlier this week.

He echoed the slogan repeated during the daily ministerial press conferences on coronavirus, saying it was vital that the church "set an example" in following the government guidance to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

"By closing the churches, we make a powerful symbol of the need to listen to that message," he said.

In case any members of the clergy had any remaining doubts regarding the efficacy of live-streaming, the Archbishop reassured Christians that Jesus is "quite up to date" with technology.

New government guidance was issued ahead of the lockdown meaning that all religious buildings and places of worship should remain closed in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, not even a warning from the Archbishop is enough to deter some rebellious religious leaders.

Rev'd James Paice, Rector at St Luke's Wimbledon Park, in southwest London, described the ban as "nonsense" as he vowed to continue streaming Easter services inside his church building. "I do know a number of clergy who are going against the advice of going into the church building to livestream services," he said. "I have been doing that, and I have various colleagues doing that. They think the advice is nonsense.

"If people can go to Lidl and get food and stand less than two metres apart from others who are in a queue parallel to them, then why can't clergy go into an empty building on their own?

"The advice that clergy should get shopping but not going into their buildings alone to minister online has elevated the humanistic and practical above the spiritual." The vicar also accused the Archbishops of "going beyond their authority", being very heavy handed" resulting in clergy deeming them not just "laughable" but also accusing them of "fast eroding their own authority".

"I've been going every Sunday to my church, in a separate room which is part of the main church: it's on a different wifi network from my family, so I can upload at the same time as they watch," he added. "There are other clergy doing it from the main body of the church. Ever since the lockdown, I have been doing it, and I will be doing it at 10.30am on Easter Sunday."

Rev'd Will Pearson-Gee, Rector of the Grade I-listed Buckingham Parish Church said that his revolt this Easter is somewhat more tame than that of Rev'd Paice . "I haven't quite rebelled," he said, "although I have been into my building."

He revealed that he returned to church, recorded a video and took a picture of the altar which he is now using as a backdrop for his live-streamed services, thanks to the green screen he happens to have in his garden shed.

"I'm allowed inside my church as a janitor to make infrequent maintenance checks, but I'm not allowed in as a priest," he said.

"So I went in, took my dog collar off, and recorded a video update from inside the church. I just wanted to show people that the church was still standing, and express my unhappiness at the fact that as a priest I'm not allowed into my building.

"We have tens-of-thousands-of-pounds of tech for live-streaming, so what has really really pissed me off is that I can't use any of the tech, I have to livestream from home."

"My mother-in-law has got marooned with us," Rev'd Pearson-Gee added. "Her operation was cancelled. I have a wife, three kids, a mother-in-law and a dog and I'm expected to turn my house into a recording studio, when my church is a barn of a building where we could socially distance at 10 metres apart it's just ridiculous.

"Obviously everything is relative and I could not even compare myself to NHS workers, but relative to my normal day to day life, I don't think I have ever been through such a testing couple of weeks, working 14 hour days, trying to keep in contact with people and pre-recording services."

Another vicar, Melvin Tinker, of St John Newland in Hull, issued a call to arms for his fellow members of the clergy.

"Now is the time to revolt," he said. "Hospitals are asking for help in caring for the sick spiritually.

"Out of good conscience over and against the craven fear of the Muppet Bishops, clergy are to carry out their duties under God and blow a proverbial raspberry in the direction of Lambeth and Chelmsford."

Rev'd Tinker also described the fact that clergy are banned from entering their churches to stream services or minister congregants who are gathered at a social distance as "monstrous".

"One of the main reasons Christianity eventually triumphed over the paganism of Rome was that they stayed behind to care for the sick when a city was struck by a plague, while the pagans cleared off," he added.

"The Church of England leadership are now demanding their clergy act like pagans."

Unfortunately for Rev'd Tinker, he will not be opening his church on Easter Sunday as he has already prepared an online interactive service.

However, he admits he has been inside the building and streamed on a couple of occasions. The point is that "the ban should be lifted or disobeyed," he said. "I am sure that if we didn't have the facilities we do have I would be streaming from the church building."

It is not just the clergy who are defying the religious edicts, however.

Jack Lopresti, the Conservative MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, wrote to the housing minister - Robert Jenrick, who himself has come under fire for allegedly not following his own advice - calling for churches to reopen over Easter to enable people to engage in "private prayer".

Mr Lopresti challenged why takeaways and off-licences, which are allowed to remain open, are deemed more essential than worship.

On Thursday night it emerged that Mr Jenrick had travelled over an hour to visit his parents last weekend despite warning others to stay at home during the coronavirus lockdown. The cabinet minister claims he was delivering food and medicine to his elderly parents.

However, most members of the general public are complying with the Government guidance, and most vicars are complying with the Archbishop's call. Many will be offering live-streamed services throughout the lockdown.

Tomorrow will mark the first Easter without church services in Britain since 1213, when Pope Innocent III put the country under an interdict preventing priests from leading worship.

However, the national lockdown brought about by the pandemic has inspired much creativity among Christians - and not just for vicars who live-stream services or who happen to have a green screen in their garden shed. St Paul's Cathedral will create a virtual choir for Easter Sunday by encouraging worshippers to film themselves singing for a 'hymn flashmob'.

The Grade I-listed Anglican cathedral, which acts as the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the capital's diocese, is encouraging "the nation to come together" online for a "digital Easter". Meanwhile on Easter Sunday, the choir at Bristol Cathedral - who are all self-isolating - will come together virtually for a special celebratory performance of This Joyful Eastertide.

The Cathedral's Choir has sung on Easter Day every year since 1542. The performance will be recorded on Zoom and edited with a backing track.

Furthermore, the Church of England's Eastermain service will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 and will be available to watch on the Church of England's Facebook page and website from 9am.

Responding to the claims that vicars will defy the Archbishop's warning, the Revd Dr Brendan McCarthy, the Church of England's national adviser on health and social care policy, said: "The bishops and archbishops have encouraged clergy to show solidarity with all those who are unable to worship in church buildings as they follow the government's advice to stay home, support the NHS and save lives.

"This is not just about one group of people, it is about all of us and our responsibility to stand together and support the clear message from the Chief Medical Officer by example and personal practice. "The Church is called to be with people sharing in their struggles, pain and, in the present situation, isolation.

"Of course, staying away from our buildings is painful, deeply so for many, but in so doing we are enacting the basic truth that the Church is not -- and never has been -- a building, it is the people of God, wherever and whoever they are.

"This Easter churches across the UK will be celebrating the resurrection in a different way, from the Archbishop of Canterbury leading a national worship service from his kitchen to thousands of parish churches exploring new ways of sharing together in worship on the greatest of all Christian festivals."

VOL FOOTNOTE: In a very odd interview with Andrew Marr, Welby claims the closing of churches was not his fault but a committee’s; that it was only guidance anyway not instruction; and that the Church’s primary duty was to set a civic example. Draw your own conclusion about both accuracy & integrity.