Early in his career, Luther identified God’s displeasure with the church as the real reason for the Ottomans’ successes. In 1518 he asserted that “to fight against the Turk is to fight against God who is punishing our sins through them.” When faced with Turkish aggression, Christians first must repent. These statements produced unintended consequences. Some people erroneously interpreted Luther as advocating a position of non-resistance. Roman Catholics accused him of handing over Christians to the