The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s high court ruled this week in favor of a minister who married two women, reversing a lower court's guilty verdict.

According to the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly, the lower court erred when it determined that Jean K. Southard violated the PC(USA) constitution.

Southard had officiated at a marriage ceremony between Jennifer Irene Duhamel and Sara Jane Herwig in 2008. The ceremony took place at First Presbyterian Church in Waltham, Mass., after she concluded that the two were well suited for marriage. more >>

NEW YORK – Pastor Tim Keller challenged a crowd of New York City professionals Sunday to rethink how they view work and to debunk the notion that spiritual vocations matter more to God than secular work.

Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, explained why all work matters to God and why God matters to work in a lecture held at the Hunter College auditorium for members of the church’s vocation groups. The lecture is the fourth entry in an eight-part lecture series organized by the church’s Center for Faith and Work, which represents professionals from at least 15 industry sectors, including the arts, business and healthcare.

In making his case that all Christians are “priests” in their respective fields, Keller contrasted the approach to work by the medieval church and the radical reformation with that of the 16th century protestant reformer Martin Luther. more >>

Former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson is leaving the Episcopal Church for the Catholic Church to distance herself from the pro-choice agenda.

Johnson, along with her husband, Doug, and 4-year-old daughter, are in the process of joining the Catholic Church in Bryan, Texas. Her decision was fueled by her Episcopal church’s reaction to her conversion from pro-choice to pro-life.

“They weren’t all that supportive of her decision to leave Planned Parenthood,” said Shawn Carney, campaign director for 40 Days for Life, to The Christian Post. Carney was the first person Johnson reached out to from the pro-life movement after she rejected the pro-choice stance. She is also attending the Catholic Church that Carney had attended while living in Texas. more >>

A victim of sexual abuse filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A).

Sean Coppedge claims the denomination failed to protect him and other children during their stay at a boarding house in Congo, where his parents were serving as missionaries.

"On the night I was sexually abused I immediately informed the Presbyterian authorities, but little was done, even though they knew the perpetrator had abused at least one other person prior to me," Coppedge said of his 1988 experience on Monday, according to The Courier-Journal. more >>

President Obama can expect to receive numerous Christmas cards this year pressing him to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition of mainline and progressive denominations and church organizations, launched a new advocacy effort Wednesday to get American Christians more involved in the Middle East peace process.

The year-long campaign began with a call to thousands of Christians across the country to send Christmas cards to the president. The card is designed by a Palestinian Christian in Bethlehem and includes the verse: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). A one sentence message tells Obama that the sender is praying for his work in securing peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians. more >>

The mission arm of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) plans to send out a letter of apology for the sexual and physical abuse that was endured by dozens of people out on the mission field.

The denomination had received 85 reports alleging abuse – incidents that spanned a 40-year period and on ten different mission fields.

Linda Valentine, executive director of the General Assembly Mission Council, expressed horror and the church body's deepest apologies as it released a detailed report last week. more >>