Religious Left

Associated Press The International Herald SAN RAFAEL, California : A retired Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) minister challenged her denomination's position on same-sex marriage Friday by officiating the wedding of two women who wanted to be among the first same-sex couples to legally marry in California. The Rev. Jane Spahr, of San Rafael, presided over the wedding between Sara Taylor, 54, and Sherrie Holmes, 57, at the Marin County Civic Center, where the pair secured their marriage license on Tuesday. "I pronounced them married under the authority granted me by the state and as a minister of the Presbyterian Church," Spahr said after the service attended by Holmes' 30-year-old daughter and longtime friends of the couple, who have been together 18 years. full article

By Michael Conlon, Religion Writer Reuters CHICAGO (Reuters) - The highest court of the U.S. Presbyterian Church has lifted a censure placed on a retired minister for presiding over two same-sex unions, the church announced on Tuesday. The ruling said the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, an activist for gay and lesbian causes who lives in San Rafael, California, performed "ceremonies" and not actual marriages in two instances in 2004 and 2005. Both cases involved lesbian couples. full article