A clergyman and former dean at Yale Divinity School will be tried by the United Methodist Church later this year for officiating his son's same-sex wedding.
Last week, the church trial for The Reverend Thomas Ogletree was scheduled for March 10, reported the Associated Press. The church trial has garnered much attention due to its spotlighting of the UMC's position on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
In addition to considering homosexuality "incompatible with Christian teaching", the UMC Book of Discipline also states that clergy cannot perform same-sex marriages.
"Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches," reads the Discipline.
In October 2012, Ogletree officiated the same-sex wedding of his son in New York State, which had legalized gay marriage the year before.
"It is a shame that the church is choosing to prosecute me for this act of love, which is entirely in keeping with my ordination vows to 'seek peace, justice, and freedom for all people' and with Methodism's historic commitment to inclusive ministry embodied in its slogan 'open hearts, open minds, open doors.'" said Ogletree in a statement.
