"United Methodism gains nothing by surrendering to fads advocated by liberal activists who preside over emptying churches." -- Mark Tooley, IRD President

Contact: Jeff Walton, Institute on Religion and Democracy, 202-682-4131, 202-413-5639 cell, jwalton@TheIRD.org

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- A Wisconsin United Methodist pastor is facing a church trial after officiating at a same-sex marriage ceremony for a lesbian couple in 2009, violating her denomination's rules.

According to the Associated Press, the Rev. Amy DeLong of Osceola in western Wisconsin faces a three-day trial starting Tuesday, June 21, in Kaukauna on two charges: violating a church prohibition on the ordination of "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" and marrying a lesbian couple.

The jury for the church trial will be selected from a pool of Wisconsin United Methodist clergy. A total of 13 clergy will be chosen to serve during the trial and penalty phase.

United Methodism has 7.7 million members in the U.S. and nearly 4.5 million overseas, primarily in Africa.

IRD President Mark Tooley commented:

"We hope this United Methodist church trial will faithfully abide by the denomination's official standard that clergy are to be monogamous in marriage and celibate in singleness, and which also affirms marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

"The United Methodist official stance is rooted in Scripture, in historic church teaching, and in the practice of universal Christianity.

"United Methodism gains nothing by surrendering to fads advocated by liberal activists who preside over emptying churches.

"This denomination's future belongs to growing, robust, international Christianity, not to dying, liberal, white-Anglo Mainline Protestantism in the U.S."