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JANINE AND JIM EDEN/FLICKR A same-sex marriage ceremony at a United Methodist Church in New York The trial of a United Methodist Church (UMC) minister who performed a same-sex marriage ceremony has been halted by a bishop before it began. Meanwhile, a retired UMC bishop may face a trial of his own for a similar ceremony. Bishop Martin McLee of New York committed this week to stopping all such trials in his region. The New York Times has the details . Meanwhile, Religion News Service reports on the latest (and highest-ranking) dissident to potentially face punishment , and assesses how geography is shaping the "emerging dynamic that allows some pastors in the country's second-largest Protestant denomination to skirt rules banning clergy from performing same-sex wedding , while others risk costly church trials and the loss of clergy credentials." "The just resolution provisions of the Book of Discipline are clear in voicing just resolution as the pref

COURTESY OF A&E Update (Dec. 20): Debate over Phil Robertson's paraphase of a Bible verse 's description of sin remains strong today. So does speculation that the spectacular run of  Duck Dynasty  may be done after the Robertson family's statement last night (see below) that "we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm." Petitions calling for Robertson's reinstatement include two sizable Facebook groups : " Stand with Phil Robertson " has gathered more than 1.3 million supporters by late Friday morning, while " Bring Back Phil Robertson " has gathered more than 909,000 supporters. The largest  Change.org petition  (out of  many ) has gathered more than 103,000 supporters. Smaller efforts include petitions by the National Organization for Marriage Education (more than  300,000 signatures ) and Faith Driven Consumers (more than 118,000 signatures ). On the other side, a Facebook page called

ATLANTA, September 12, 2012, ( LifeSiteNews.com ) - A theological professor at an African- American Christian seminary has complained to federal anti-discrimination officials that he was fired based on his conservative views, particularly his stance against homosexuality . Rev. Jamal-Dominique Hopkins. Rev. Jamal-Dominique Hopkins told the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a filing last month that administrators at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) had begun mistreating him after attendees at an event he organized were given a book that called homosexual activity sinful. “It was primarily the book that created an issue,” Hopkins, 42, told  Religion News Service . After he was confronted by his department chair, Rev. Margaret Aymer, Hopkins said administrators began criticizing his conservative religious ideals, “intimidating me, slandering my character, giving me poor evaluations, and changing student grades from failing to passing with no merit.

TAMPA, FLORIDA , May 7, 2012,  –  Members of the nation’s largest mainline Protestant church voted to maintain the doctrine that homosexual actions were “incompatible with Christian teaching” on Thursday. The United Methodist Church voted down  two proposals to water down its stance  on homosexuality on Thursday. One proposal called homosexuals “people of sacred worth” and acknowledged differing viewpoints on the issue, while another said humans did not know enough about human sexuality to prefer one lifestyle over another. The Religion News Service   reports   after delegates defeated the pro- LGBT proposals, “gay rights activists flooded the assembly floor and disrupted the session by singing the hymn ‘What Does the Lord Require of You?’” They refused to honor Indiana Bishop Michael Coyner’s request to stop singing, forcing him to curtail that morning’s session. Hillary's views conflict with those of her denomination. The church’s position, enshrined in its  Book of Discipli

Image via Wikipedia Provost Thomas Burns of Belmont University in Nashville has announced in a statement that the evangelical Christian school has given official approval to its first homosexual student organization. Burns said that the decision to recognize the homosexualist group, which had twice before applied for, and been denied, club status, reflected an “ongoing campus dialogue about Christian faith and sexuality.” “This outcome represents many months of conversation, collaboration and cooperation between Belmont students, faculty and staff,” the statement read. In December 2010, Belmont was embroiled in controversy when the school dismissed women’s soccer coach Lisa Howe, after she told her team that she and her lesbian partner were expecting a baby. Belmont’s policy change follows a decision in January to add “sexual orientation” to the historically Baptist school’s anti-discrimination policy. The school, which had been affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention ,