6 Climate Justice and God’s Justice …
107
loomed on Europe’s horizon and threatened to overthrow Christendom. Europeans
of the time feared the Turks unleashing upon them an unprecedented reign of terror,
violence, and bloodshed. In light of this threat, Luther continually wrote about the
Turks. Here I will consider whether these writings offer any help to Pacific peoples
facing a very different threat to their existence.
In response to requests to write about the issue, Luther penned a small treatise “On
War against the Turk” which mainly deals with the issue of Christians waging war
on the Turk (LW 46:153–205). A part of this work deals with the question of what
this threat is and where it comes from. Before examining these questions, it is worth
exploring briefly Luther’s notion of punishment by God. In his “Explanations of
the Ninety-five Theses” (1518), Luther outlined several kinds of punishments which
faithful Christians can suffer. They include “eternal punishment” in hell, purgatory,
“spiritual penance” (in accordance with 1 Corinthians 11:31), “God’s correction and
scourging”, and the “canonical punishment” of the church (LW 31:90–93). It is the
fourth punishment, “God’s correction and scourging”, that interests us here. Based
on various scriptures, Luther showed that God’s punishment will be visited on the
sinner (Psalm 89:30–33) and righteous alike (Revelation 3:19).
He went on to say that Christians need to recognise “plagues, wars, insurrections,
earthquakes, fires, murders, thefts, as well as the Turks, Tartars, and other infidels”
as “the lash and rod of God” (LW 31:91–92). Accepting this, then, church leaders
who wished to fight against the Turks (or any other of these things) took on a serious
fight, not only against the Turks, but also against God. Luther wrote: “They want
to fight, not against iniquities, but against the lash of iniquity and thus they would
oppose God who says that through that lash he himself punishes us for our iniquities
because we do not punish ourselves for them” (LW 31:92).
In the face of the perceived threat of the Turk, Luther was determined that Christians should not surrender their faith. He urged prayer as a weapon against this
threat. Surprisingly, Luther, in responding to the justified fears of ordinary people to
this threat, did not draw attention to God’s providential protection, instead he urged
preaching on the wrath of God in punishing people (LW 46:171). To be effective, this
preaching, Luther suggested, ought to focus on examples from the Bible that shows
God’s punishment toward his people, such as the flood (Genesis 7:1–24) and the
punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24–28). And since, Luther said,
people now sin worse than people in biblical times, worse now are the punishments
of God (LW 46:171).
Luther’s counsel to those who faced this threat from the Turk was that the Turk
must be disempowered by decoupling their military might from God’s wrath. So
long as the Turk was a tool of God’s wrath, they could not be defeated. God’s wrath
can, however, be quelled through repentance and prayer. Luther wrote: “This fight
must be begun with repentance, and we must reform our lives, or we shall fight in
vain” (LW 46:171). The wise Christian will “recognize the Turk as God’s rod and
wrath which Christians must either suffer, if God visits their sins upon them, or fight
against and drive away with repentance, tears, and prayer” (LW 46:184).
Applying this to climate change is not straightforward, but it is worth noting that
the Turks were not the only instrument of God’s wrath that Luther recognized during
107
loomed on Europe’s horizon and threatened to overthrow Christendom. Europeans
of the time feared the Turks unleashing upon them an unprecedented reign of terror,
violence, and bloodshed. In light of this threat, Luther continually wrote about the
Turks. Here I will consider whether these writings offer any help to Pacific peoples
facing a very different threat to their existence.
In response to requests to write about the issue, Luther penned a small treatise “On
War against the Turk” which mainly deals with the issue of Christians waging war
on the Turk (LW 46:153–205). A part of this work deals with the question of what
this threat is and where it comes from. Before examining these questions, it is worth
exploring briefly Luther’s notion of punishment by God. In his “Explanations of
the Ninety-five Theses” (1518), Luther outlined several kinds of punishments which
faithful Christians can suffer. They include “eternal punishment” in hell, purgatory,
“spiritual penance” (in accordance with 1 Corinthians 11:31), “God’s correction and
scourging”, and the “canonical punishment” of the church (LW 31:90–93). It is the
fourth punishment, “God’s correction and scourging”, that interests us here. Based
on various scriptures, Luther showed that God’s punishment will be visited on the
sinner (Psalm 89:30–33) and righteous alike (Revelation 3:19).
He went on to say that Christians need to recognise “plagues, wars, insurrections,
earthquakes, fires, murders, thefts, as well as the Turks, Tartars, and other infidels”
as “the lash and rod of God” (LW 31:91–92). Accepting this, then, church leaders
who wished to fight against the Turks (or any other of these things) took on a serious
fight, not only against the Turks, but also against God. Luther wrote: “They want
to fight, not against iniquities, but against the lash of iniquity and thus they would
oppose God who says that through that lash he himself punishes us for our iniquities
because we do not punish ourselves for them” (LW 31:92).
In the face of the perceived threat of the Turk, Luther was determined that Christians should not surrender their faith. He urged prayer as a weapon against this
threat. Surprisingly, Luther, in responding to the justified fears of ordinary people to
this threat, did not draw attention to God’s providential protection, instead he urged
preaching on the wrath of God in punishing people (LW 46:171). To be effective, this
preaching, Luther suggested, ought to focus on examples from the Bible that shows
God’s punishment toward his people, such as the flood (Genesis 7:1–24) and the
punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24–28). And since, Luther said,
people now sin worse than people in biblical times, worse now are the punishments
of God (LW 46:171).
Luther’s counsel to those who faced this threat from the Turk was that the Turk
must be disempowered by decoupling their military might from God’s wrath. So
long as the Turk was a tool of God’s wrath, they could not be defeated. God’s wrath
can, however, be quelled through repentance and prayer. Luther wrote: “This fight
must be begun with repentance, and we must reform our lives, or we shall fight in
vain” (LW 46:171). The wise Christian will “recognize the Turk as God’s rod and
wrath which Christians must either suffer, if God visits their sins upon them, or fight
against and drive away with repentance, tears, and prayer” (LW 46:184).
Applying this to climate change is not straightforward, but it is worth noting that
the Turks were not the only instrument of God’s wrath that Luther recognized during