More charges filed against defiant pastor in Ohio By Craig M. Kibler The Layman Online Tuesday, June 3, 2003 An Ohio pastor, who has continued performing same-sex unions after being rebuked for the practice and ordered to stop doing it, has been charged with blasphemy, heresy, violating his ordination vows and defying the order prohibiting the practice. Paul Rolf Jensen, a Presbyterian lawyer in Reston, Va., who has filed more than 20 cases nationwide in an effort to halt defiance of the constitution, filed those new charges against the Rev. A. Stephen Van Kuiken, the pastor of Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati. On April 21, in response to allegations made by Jensen, Van Kuiken was rebuked by the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbytery of Cincinnati. The commission ruled that he had "been found guilty of the offense of performing same-sex marriage ceremonies, and by such offense you have acted contrary to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA)." Using the language of the highest court in the denomination, the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission, the ruling also stated: "You are directed to perform marriage ceremonies only for a man and a woman. If you perform service of holy union, you are directed to take special care to avoid any confusion of such services with Christian marriage. You shall not appropriate specific liturgical forms from services of Christian marriage … You shall instruct same-sex couples that the service to be conducted does not constitute a marriage ceremony and should not be held out as such." Van Kuiken, who has appealed the ruling, told a gay advocacy group at the time that he would continue to perform marriages for couples regardless of sexual orientation, even though "my actions – performing ceremonies for same-sex couples that are Christian marriages or their equivalent – are a violation of our church law." On May 17, he again violated the constitution and defied the commission's order by performing a "marriage" service at Mount Auburn for a same-gender couple, Meghan Kaskoun and Melinda Tarter. The bulletin for the ceremony was titled "A Service of Christian Marriage," vows and rings were exchanged and Van Kuiken made "an announcement of marriage." In response, Jensen filed an accusation May 30 with the Presbytery of Cincinnati accusing Van Kuiken "of committing the offenses of: 1. Blasphemy. 2. Heresy. 3. Acting in willful and deliberate violation of his ordination vows, as set forth in the Book of Order at section G-14.0405 (b) to be governed by our church's polity. 4. Acting in willful and deliberate violation of the April 21, 2003 order of censure of the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbytery of Cincinnati … 5. Renouncing the authority over him of the decisions of the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbytery of Cincinnati in the case of Presbyterian Church U.S.A. vs. Van Kuiken. 6. Renouncing the authority over him of the decisions of the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) In the case of Session, Londonderry Presbyterian Church vs. Presbytery of Northern New England, Remedial Case #213-2, and Benton vs. Presbytery of Hudson River, Remedial Case #212-11. 7. Actually performed a ceremony at Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church which ceremony was in violation of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) As so held by the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbyterian Church in its decision in the case of Benton vs. Presbytery of Hudson River, Remedial Case #212-11. 8. Renouncing the jurisdiction of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) by refusing to comply with its constitution and valid orders of the Permanent Judicial Commissions of the Church. In a letter accompanying the accusations, Jensen wrote that Van Kuiken "has repeatedly stated, both in public and in private, that he will not be bound by the polity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Specifically, he has stated that he has no obligation to obey the orders of the Permanent Judicial Commission of this Presbytery and of the General Assembly, and that he would not obey them. These statements were made both before, during and after his trial on the aforesaid charges." In his letter, Jensen also cites "'A Service of Christian Marriage' between two women," and "a letter reporting on the PJC's order of censure. … The accused wrote, in pertinent part: 'the rebuke serves as a warning that my actions were wrong and orders me to stop doing them. It is clear that next time the penalty will be more severe. It is a message for me to 'straighten up' or else. … What confuses me is that they already know that I will not change from my position. I don't think I could have been more clear." In an e-mail sent to media reporting on the Presbyterian Church (USA), Jensen wrote that, "throughout the denomination, the constitution is being defied without consequence. Notwithstanding G-6.0106(b), active, self-affirming homosexuals are being ordained and installed. This is true not only in Hudson River Presbytery, but in New York City, Cincinnati, National Capital, Baltimore, Yellowstone, Twin Cities, Pacific, Redwoods, San Francisco and elsewhere, including the congregation of the newly-elected GA Moderator. G-6.0106(b) might as well be removed from the Book of Order, since it is not enforced. I will continue to file accusations without surcease, and without regard to condemnation."

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