Reverend Edwards once again faces church court charges for performing a lesbian wedding. Previous charges were dropped due to technicalities, which some suspect was a convenient way for the Presbyterian Church to sidestep the larger issues around gay and lesbian members of the faith community.

A Florida minister has again filed a complaint against the Rev. Janet Edwards, who faced charges in church court for marrying a lesbian couple before the court determined last year that the charges were filed four days too late.

The Rev. James Yearsley said he refiled the accusation with Pittsburgh Presbytery, charging that Ms. Edwards defied her vows and the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which prohibits same-sex marriages and bars pastors from performing them.

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Ms. Edwards, 56, is a parish associate at the Community of Reconciliation in Oakland and a longtime activist for gay people in the church. She said she does not believe she violated the promises she made at ordination by marrying two West Virginia women in June 2005.

"Of course it is difficult to be called a heretic or apostate by a fellow Presbyterian and another Christian. But I really learned from the first round and I want to focus my soul on reconciling prayer," she said yesterday. "I'm hoping that I can talk with people who disagree with me and that we can find our way to reconciliation.''

Would that all Christians walk in such humility when confronted with someone who disagrees with them.