The German Peasants War

In a sense, it's not surprising that he takes the line that he does in the peasant's war. He has just published a tract on christian freedom. The way that he uses the word free and freedom is really, well, it is incendiary. So when luther is writing this kind of staff and saying, smite, kill and slay them like mad dogs, he isn't expressing a consenses view. I think he is actually trying to change policy.