Conservative evangelical readings of the Genesis creation story have fuelled the erosion of confidence in the Bible, a prominent Baptist pastor is claiming.

Steve Chalke, a well-known leader arguing for same-sex marriage in the church, says the biblical creation story is actually about a 'radical message of inclusion and equality' and traditionalist readings have missed its true message.

'By taking the Bible literally, we often fail to take it seriously,' he says, adding that knowing this reading of Genesis 'might save the faith' of young people shunning the Church's conservative approach to sexuality.

'Because aspects of the Church have for too long tried to defend the historicity of the Genesis 1 creation poem, Noah's Ark and various other stories, they have failed to grasp the opportunity its real message presents us with,' he says in a statement on Thursday linked to a video release. 'At the same time, they have unwittingly played a role in the erosion of confidence in the Bible's authority and relevance.'

The Bible's creation account was not written to explain history or science, Chalke argues, but instead as a deliberate parody of the version held by the Babylonian empire, which had taken the Israelites into exile at the time Genesis was written.

'We know that the first creation story – by looking at its structure and dating – was very probably written to subvert the claims made by the extremely violent, hierarchical, sexist, nationalist and dehumanising creation story of the Babylonians – the superpower of the day – which was very popular in the culture of the time,' Chalke says.'Genesis deliberately contradicts it time and time again, and perhaps most subversively teaches that there is only one God, that God is good and that each and every human – male and female and from any level of society – is created by and is appointed as a divine representative – not just those who are powerful.

'Knowing this adds huge depth of meaning, relevance and power of the Genesis story – not to mention removing the unnecessary and misguided clash with science. It also accounts for the differences between it and Genesis 2, which once again was written – in a different style – to subvert other well-known Babylonian and Mesopotamian myths.

'Imagine explaining this to children and young people, and then encouraging them to watch a sunset together and write their own creation poems. Just this might well save the faith of some of them.'

The claim was made as part of a two-year project which will Chalke post 95 video messages online, echoing Martin Luther's 95 theses that ushered in the Protestant Reformation.