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Weblog promises that it doesn't go out looking for denominations fumbling over how to deal with homosexuality. In fact, these stories can all start to sound the same: Minister violates church law, minister brought to church trial, church jurors decide church law doesn't mean what it says, minister let off the hook, other churches upset, journalists ponder possible "schism" in the denomination.

Well, the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s recently reinstated minister, Stephen Van Kuiken, won an appeal after being convicted last year for performing gay marriages. The ten-member Synod of the Covenant, which oversees churches in Ohio, Michigan, and parts of Kentucky and Indiana, voted 6-4 in favor of Van Kuiken. The ruling could be appealed to a higher court. The panel said the PCUSA does not specifically bar ministers from marrying gay couples and does not call for disciplining ministers who do.

What the PCUSA's Book of Order does say is that marriage is "between a woman and a man." However, the church does allow ministers to bless same-sex unions, provided they are not called weddings.

"I don't think it will be ultimately upheld," said Tom Sweets, pastor of the 800-member Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, which brought the complaint against Van Kuiken. "The decision was made on wordsmithing; it's Bill Clinton's 'whatever the definition of "is" is.'"

For those unfamiliar with the Van Kuiken story, here is a recap with the help of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

• In 2002, the General Assembly's highest court holds that ministers can bless same-sex unions, but that marriage is between a man and a woman.
  
  
• In May 2003, Van Kuiken found guilty of performing gay marriages and given a "rebuke," the mildest punishment the court could use.
  
  
• In June 2003, Van Kuiken was booted for performing more gay marriages.
  
  
• Last February, Van Kuiken was reinstated as a Presbyterian minister, because the court that stripped him of his pastorate and church membership did so while Van Kuiken was appealing his previous guilty verdict.
  
  
• Now, the original verdict has been overturned because the church does not overtly bar ministers from performing same-sex marriages.
  
  

The panel spent much of its time debating semantics, according to the Toledo Blade. "While the Book of Order states that same-sex marriages are 'impermissible,' for example, the wording refers to whether ministers 'should' or 'should not' perform such ceremonies rather than 'must' or 'must not.'" Church law and other judicial rulings "fail to define the performance of a same-sex marriage by a minister as an offense subject to disciplinary trial," the panel said. With this ruling, word games over the definition of marriage are now over, Van Kuiken says, though marriage is still defined as between a man and a woman. (Does this remind anyone else of the Monty Python line, "Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who"?)

"This was really a landmark decision," Van Kuiken told the Associated Press. "Even if this is appealed to the highest court, it has established a precedent that will allow the Presbyterian church to move forward." He told the Enquirer, "We are making room at the table of Christ both for our gay brothers and lesbian sisters as well as for those with progressive Christian convictions." Van Kuiken obviously believes he is on a more advanced path than the rest of the denomination. After the ruling, he resigned from the PCUSA to become pastor of The Gathering, a non denominational church formed by members who left his former congregation.

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May (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48