Lutheran Group Opposes Defense of Marriage?

A lot was made about this story earlier this week:

State Lutheran Group Supports Gays, Opposes Marriage Amendment

The regional branch of the nation's largest Lutheran domination is opposing an amendment to the state Constitution that would prohibit marriage or civil unions among gays and lesbians.

The South-Central Wisconsin Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America includes 13 counties and 150 congregations. The Synod Assembly vote opposing the proposed constitutional amendment took place May 7 in Middleton. About 450 representatives of the congregations attended, and the resolution was approved with a voice vote, said David Berggren, secretary of the Synod Council and pastor of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Sun Prairie.

Here's how the Wisconsin State Journal put it, in another story:

Meanwhile, a group of mainline Wisconsin Lutherans voted this month to oppose a state constitutional amendment that would ban marriage and civil unions among gays and lesbians.

But it's not because the 110,000 members of the South Central Wisconsin Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America favor gay marriage, Bishop George Carlson of Mount Horeb said Monday.

It's because the amendment would also refuse to legally recognize unions similar to marriage. That goes too far in curbing human rights, Carlson said.

And now, here's an email I got on Wednesday. I'm posting it with the writer's permission:

It was a big surprise to read the remarks by ELCA Bishop George Carlson in Tuesday's State Journal. A report given by our congregations' delegates, after the Synod convention, made no mention of the adopted resolution opposing the proposed Wisconsin constitutional amendment on same sex marriage and unions. There was no prior notification of a vote on sexual issues and no information in the Synod convention packets. It appears skilled parliamentary moves slipped this past. Bishop Carlson now purports to speak for all the church with his tacit approval of same sex unions "similar to marriage". He does not speak for me or for thousands of ELCA members. Lutherans in the pews were not given an opportunity to weigh in on the issue before "our church" spoke. I assure Bishop Carlson we will have an opportunity to let our views be known at the ballot box.

Ed James, Janesville