Presbyterian Minister who wed gays faces hearing

To the Rev. Jane Spahr, the right of a Presbyterian Church minister to marry same-sex couples is a matter of principle and conscience. To her critics, Spahr, 65, a lesbian activist from San Rafael, simply broke the law that governs the Presbyterian Church, a 2.3 million-member mainstream Protestant denomination that celebrated its 300th anniversary in the United States in 2006.

The church's case against Spahr, which originated in Santa Rosa, is headed for its third and final hearing before a Presbyterian tribunal on Friday in Louisville, Ky.

"This is an opportunity for the church to be open and welcoming and inviting," Spahr said. "Is this a church of only law or is it a church of grace? I want to bet it is."

The Rev. James Berkley, a Seattle-area Presbyterian minister, contends the law is paramount and Spahr "thumbed her nose" at it.  Minister who wed gays faces hearing