Helping the Envoy Boards with Luther

Over on the Envoy boards, it was asked:

In Jimmy Akin's article explaining Exsurge Domine in light of Papal Infallibility, he makes the following comment: "One can speculate which censure might be applied to the proposition that using the death penalty for heresy is contrary to the will of the Spirit (a view Luther himself later repudiated)." What is the reference to Luther's repudiation that Jimmy mentions?

Luther originally rejected the notion of the death penalty. Later on, Luther saw public blasphemy and sedition as two offenses that should be reprimanded. The death penalty may be invoked in certain instances.