The Thirty Years' War

On Mondays we want to encourage discussion about Church history. Warfare broke out between various groups of Christians in the 1600s. Was this the end of Christianity? When, if at any time, is it appropriate for Christians to engage in warfare, particularly against other people who claim Christianity?

Mondays are for Church History - 12/5/16

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: The Reformation to the Present Day. Revised and Updated ed. Vol. 2. New York: HarperCollins, 2010b. Kindle Electronic Edition.
Chapter 16 “The Thirty Years’ War” Loc. 2748-2857.

The Peace of Augsburg, which allowed for some level of peace between Catholic and Lutheran territories, did not last for long. By 1608 there were moves to convert people by force (Gonzalez 2010b, Loc. 2769). Events between Bohemian Protestants and their Catholic king led to the Thirty Years’ War (Gonzalez 2010b, Loc. 2776). During this war, Gonzalez affirms, Bohemian population was reduced by about 80% (Gonzalez 2010b, Loc. 2784). There were numerous international interactions between the Catholic rulers and Protestants (Gonzalez 2010b, Loc. 2791). On both sides there was a desire for sovereign religious rule. Eventually the Protestant Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus made a move through much of the disputed area, requiring religious tolerance (Gonzalez 2010b, Loc. 2813).  

After many challenging negotiations the Peace of Westphalia was negotiated in 1648 (Gonzalez 2010b, Loc. 2834). Aside from determining borders, princes and subjects alike were allowed to be Catholic, Lutheran, or Reformed (Gonzalez 2010b, Loc. 2842). Gonzalez views this as an important decision, which led to the rise of a secular state and threw into doubt the concept of affirming correct doctrine (Gonzalez 2010b, Loc. 2848).

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