His church has judged that the Rev. David H. Benke offended God, the Bible and all Christians. It says he "dragged" his faith, a conservative form of Lutheranism, to the level of Islam, committed heresy and violated two of the Ten Commandments.
His crime was taking part in an interfaith prayer service at Yankee Stadium 12 days after the destruction of the World Trade Center. His punishment is suspension as president of the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, a position equivalent to bishop for the New York metropolitan area.
But Pastor Benke refuses to apologize, as demanded in exchange for lifting the suspension, and has appealed the ruling. He has retained a Long Island law firm to represent his interests in what could become a long, difficult battle within his church, which is based in St. Louis. If he loses his appeal, he could be dismissed from the ministry.
He says he is waging war against religious intolerance, and an insular view of faith that not only prevents unity among peoples but promotes violence. "The religious impulse is extremely strong and vital in the human heart," he said in an interview yesterday, "and will lead people to places they would not go on their own. It is not only a high and altruistic thing, it is a dangerous thing." At the core of his case, Pastor Benke said, is the question, "How do you behave with integrity from any spiritual position in a time of crisis?"
But the church's ruling is a reminder, too, that people have different interpretations of spirituality, at a time of renewed debate over what role religion should play in defining the United States, a debate fueled by the recent court ruling that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because of its reference to one nation "under God."
The case also reflects a struggle between conservative and less strict forces within the Missouri Synod, which has 2.6 million members. (The more liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has 5.1 million members.)
Yesterday, Pastor Benke released a public letter denouncing critics in the church who accuse him of being an "East Coast liberal."
Pastor Benke was formally suspended late last month after a senior official of the church, the Rev. Wallace Schulz, ruled in favor of a group of 18 pastors who had brought charges against Pastor Benke.
Pastor Schulz said Pastor Benke, who shared the Yankee Stadium stage with Muslim, Sikh and Hindu holy men, violated the church ban on syncretism, or the mingling of Christian and non-Christian beliefs. By appearing with Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and other Protestants, he was guilty of unionism, or the bringing together of Lutheran and non-Lutheran Christian doctrines. "Such a confused public witness displays a lack of integrity," Pastor Schulz said.
Pastor Benke broke the First Commandment — "I am the Lord thy God," according to Exodus — by worshiping with "pagans," Pastor Schulz said. And he violated the Second Commandment, against putting other gods before him, Pastor Schulz said. He cited a complaint by the Rev. Joel Baseley, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Dearborn, Mich.
According to Pastor Schulz, Pastor Basely wrote in his complaint: "Instead of keeping God's name sacred and separate from every other name, it was made common as it was dragged to the level of Allah."
Joining in prayer "with pagan clerics in Yankee Stadium," Pastor Schulz said, "was an offense both to God and to all Christians."
Since accusations were leveled last fall, the clergyman's defense has been that the event was a civic one, which he said church law allows a pastor to join.
The issue displays a reality in the American religious landscape that clashes with the let's-all-get-together religious message emphasized by political and religious leaders after terrorists attacked the nation in the name of a twisted view of Islam.
The president of the Texas district, the Rev. James R. Linderman, called the guilty finding a "stretch."
"The event that started this, the emotional state that New York City was in at this time, and the emotional needs of the people — that's sort of lost."
He expressed particular disapproval of the suggestion that Allah, the God of Islam, was somehow inferior to the God of Christianity.
"I would not have used those terms, even though I believe a Muslim is not a saved person," he said. "Still, I need to respect that man and his God."
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an Islamic advocacy group in Washington, called Pastor Baseley's comment part of a growing "demonization of Islam and Muslims" that plays into the hands of those who would pit the West against Islam. "If these people have any regard for their country's interests, they should keep their mouths shut, whatever their bigoted views," Mr. Hooper said.
The Rev. Charles W. Froehlich, the Atlantic District's first vice president, took over as acting district president, overseeing 43,000 church members in 105 congregations, 70 schools and 30 ethnic missions, while Pastor Benke continues to receive his salary.
Church officials say Pastor Benke has received strong support around the country. And his backers are in gear. The law firm representing him, Capell & Vishnick of Lake Success, N.Y., is waging a public relations campaign on his behalf. Thomas Von Essen, the former New York fire commissioner, and Paul Simon, a former senator from Illinois and a church member, among others, have come to his defense. So has the church president, the Rev. Gerald B. Kieschnick, who supported Pastor Benke's appearance at Yankee Stadium and himself fended off heresy charges.