CINCINATI - A Presbyterian minister testified the church is facing a crisis of theological intolerance in his trial before church colleagues Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.
The Rev. Stephen Van Kuiken, who has publicly stated his commitment to conducting same-sex marriages, is the first to be tried on accusations of performing such ceremonies as a result of about 20 complaints filed by activists and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) around the country.
The complaints ask the church to require its ministers and congregations to obey the Presbyterian constitution. The denomination, with 2.5 million members, is headquartered in Louisville, Ky.
"The issue facing us is too urgent to reduce to a mere legal question," Van Kuiken's formal trial statement said. "The issue is about theological differences and a growing intolerance and lack of forbearance of these differences."
The court, called the permanent judicial commission, is expected to make a ruling in about two weeks, according to the news report. Church official Yvette Dalton said leaders would not comment on the case before the ruling.
Punishments that can be handed down include public rebuke, temporary suspension or removal from the ministry. A two-thirds vote - five of the court's seven members - is required for conviction.
The 44-year-old pastor of Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church, who represented himself during the 75-minute hearing, also was tried on a charge he ordains homosexuals as deacons and elders who do not adhere to a Presbyterian constitutional requirement of chastity for unmarried lay ministers.
The investigative committee, serving as prosecutors, and Van Kuiken read formal statements at the hearing. No witnesses or rebuttals were offered and the trial was open only to ministers and elders.
Similar complaints against other ministers have been dismissed for a lack of evidence, the AP reported. Others are pending before various presbyteries, which are regional clusters of churches.
Like most major Christian denominations, the Presbyterian Church follows the biblical interpretation that marriage can be a covenant only between a man and a woman. The highest Presbyterian court ruled in 2000 that ministers may bless same-sex unions, but cannot perform marriage ceremonies for such couples.
