A gay campaigning vicar has admitted that he spoke to a Sunday Times journalist about the Bishop of Grantham's sexuality before that newspaper was set to run a story on the subject.

Andrew Foreshew-Cain, who is well known in church circles for his forthright views on what he claims are fellow gay clergy who are not yet known about publicly, denied being the source behind the planned Sunday Times story when asked by Christian Today.

But pressed on the matter, he said: "Well, we all spoke to him [the journalist]. He was ringing everybody up who knew."

Foreshew-Cain said, "I am not a fan of outing" and added that the "progressive cause" had not been particularly helped by the revelation that the bishop, Nicholas Chamberlain, was gay, because "everyone rallied round him including the evangelicals".

However, he went on: "The fact that he is gay was widely known including by a lot of journalists. The question is why they do not pursue the Diocesan Bishops who are gay."

The Sunday Times was due to run a story on the bishop's sexuality on 4 September. But when the bishop was approached by the paper, his office in turn contacted the Guardian, which ran what the Sunday Times journalist in question described to Christian Today as "a spoiler" on 2 September.

Nicholas Hellen, the Social Affairs Editor at the Sunday Times, told Christian Today to "mind your own business" when questioned, and pointed out that journalists do not reveal their sources. He also expressed anger at the Guardian for implying that the Sunday Times was preparing to "out" the bishop.

"I am very unhappy because it is untrue, the report in the Guardian that we were going to out a bishop," Hellen said.

Some gay campaigners - including the pressure group OutRage! - believe that people who are not publicly gay should be 'outed' to help the LGBT cause.

A number of politicians have been 'outed' in the past including Peter Mandelson, when the former Tory MP and Times writer Matthew Parris revealed he was gay live on BBC's Newsnight.

But church figures are likely to be dismayed if the tactic has come to the church.

Simon Sarmiento, chair of the LGBTI Mission, said that he would be "surprised" if Foreshew-Cain, who is the vicar at St James' in West Hamsptead, was behind the story but added that outing bishops was "a very bad idea".

A spokesman for the Bishop of Grantham refused to comment on the sourcing question and merely said: "It's business as usual. We are getting on with the job."

Since it was publicly revealed that he is gay, Bishop Chamberlain has received some 700 letters, the vast majority of which are supportive.