governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God” (13:1). Luther didn’t think that every specific law or governmental deci- sion enjoyed God’s approval. What he meant was that authorizing gov- ernments is one way in which God influences the world. It’s a way in which justice can be done and the common good can be enhanced. A society can’t function well without an effective government. The reformer’s view (which has been shared by most Lutherans throughout history) stands in marked contrast to some of the voices today who claim that government is itself the problem. The issue instead is how well it works. Is it able to level the playing field and enforce the rules? Is it providing the infrastruc- ture society needs? Does its over- sight avoid both excessive strictness and excessive leniency, either of which can be detrimental? Government is a gift of God. Humans are to find ways to make it effective. What, if anything, should be changed, dropped or added? This question needs to be decided on a case-by-case basis. We have said that Luther thrust Christians out into public service, not to serve themselves but to serve the community as a whole, particu- larly those who are poor or needy. Luther modeled this. Often we don’t hear much about his public service because so much attention is given to his religious struggles in the monastery, his discovery of the gospel and his reform of the church. These matters deserve our attention, but they shouldn’t obscure Luther’s many other involvements. A few examples will help. • Luther wrote an open letter to all the city councils of Germany, urging them to establish schools at pub-
lic expense for all young men and women. • Breaking from a church tradition that said beggars (about 15 percent of the population) were an essential part of society, Luther sought ways to eliminate begging. He proposed and helped create community chests, or local charity funds, that would provide assistance for beggars, wid- ows and children in need. • Luther helped establish low- interest loans from these community chests for shop owners, who other- wise were charged very high interest rates. • Luther spoke out against a crusade and any war that was not defensive. • Though the peasants of Swabia sent their articles to several theolo- gians, Luther was the only one to respond. • He gave advice to princes—some- times more candidly than they liked. • Luther advocated changes in the laws governing marriage. He and Katharina von Bora modeled a new kind of relationship that eventually transformed the Western view of marriage. Luther taught her Latin and, to the distress of some of his colleagues, invited her to participate in theological discussions. He also made her the executor of his estate at a time when it was illegal for a woman to do this. (She overcame the legal hurdle with assistance from others.) • Luther opposed usury and hoarding that would make goods more expen- sive when there was a shortage in another part of the country. He urged preachers to preach against usury. • He was involved in settling dis- putes. In fact, he died while on one such mission, settling a dispute between a prince and his mine work- ers, and between that same prince and his brothers and cousins. There was, in short, no significant public issue in Luther’s day in which
he was not involved. What more can we say about the principles that guided this involve- ment and guide our involvement today?
In matters of public policy, prior- ity needs to be given to the good of the community. For example, Luther sternly warned the princes that they needed to get off their high horse and negotiate with the peasants. Failure to do so would bring harm to everyone.
The uppermost question for Lutherans is: “What will serve the common good?”
No individual can answer this question alone. They need to listen to others. They need to learn what has worked and what has not. They need the clues pro- vided by the bibli- cal accounts of God’s people. We are called to search for an answer, to deliberate and to act, even if our understanding always remains incomplete. Here con-
temporaries can learn from Luther because contrary philosophies vie for our attention. One suggests that a person should
Luther didn’t think that every specific law or governmental decision enjoyed God’s approval. What he meant was that authorizing governments is one way in which God influences the world. It’s a way in which justice can be done and the common good can be enhanced.
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