 In 1518 after Luther was declared a heretic, Staupitz was appointed promagister of the Augustinian order to plead in protest with Luther, discussing the issue of indulgences in great detail.Staupitz is sometimes categorized as a forerunner of Luther, although his actual words indicate a man driven by anxious suspicions and an encouraging desire to understand Luther's objections.Staupitz perceived Luther's complaints as questions against clerical abuses, rather than as fundamental disputes of dogma.