🧵The relationship between Lutheranism and economic justice needs more focus: "Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God" (45th - 95 Theses) #Lutheran #ELCA - ThreadSky

lilyhere.bsky.social • 86 days ago

🧵The relationship between Lutheranism and economic justice needs more focus: "Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God" (45th - 95 Theses)

#Lutheran #ELCA

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lilyhere.bsky.social•86 days ago

🪡There are two other times this issue is mentioned in the 95 theses; one other time where he exclaims the primacy of helping the poor over buying indulgences: "Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons" (43rd thesis)

lilyhere.bsky.social•86 days ago

🪡The other time this is mentioned in the 95 theses is regarding the pope - "Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?" (86th thesis)

lilyhere.bsky.social•86 days ago

🪡The preference of helping the poor over the papacy is a consistent theme not just because of the great wealth, and unnecessary nature of indulgences practiced by the papacy - but because Luther doctrinally places great emphasis on charity and sees the exploitation of the poor as a form of theft.

lilyhere.bsky.social•86 days ago

🪡In the section of the Large Catechism "Thou shalt not steal." Luther goes as far to say of God: "Him who takes care of the poor sorrowful hearts, and will not allow them to go unavenged" in regards to the overcharging of the poor, when we ought to "give [to] for nothing".

lilyhere.bsky.social•86 days ago

🪡Luther places great emphasis in general within this section, exclaiming the importance of fair market activity. Going as far as to call those [workmen, mechanics, and day-laborers] who cheat in the market buy over charging "far worse than sneak-thieves."

lilyhere.bsky.social•86 days ago

🪡 He goes as far as to say - what is far worse than lowly thieves is the arch thieves, whom had kept company with lords and princes and plundered the wealth of cities under the protection of and coordinated by the papacy.

emmadearest.bsky.social•69 days ago

You're postulating the wrong thesis

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