Denck was influenced by the German theologian
Johannes Tauler's mysticism. For Denck the living, inner word of God was more important than the letters of the Scripture. This belief was contrary to the Lutheran belief of giving scripture primacy. It is not clear if Denck was
Anti-Trinitarian. His enemies as well as modern Unitarian scholars have presented him as Anti-Trinitarian, despite the lack of evidence of this in Denck's own writings. Clearly though, he was a non-dogmatic Christian.
Joachim Vadian and Johann Kessler accused Denck of
Universalism, but according to Ludlow, he merely hoped for the salvation of all, and his accusers were mistaken or trying to discredit him. However, Ludlow was unaware of a lesser-known account by sympathetic pastor Sigelsbach of a conversation where Denck said it was "evident that the blasphemy of the damned will stop in the end". Moreover,
Urbanus Rhegius wrote how Denck confessed to him, after over a year of denying, "that he believed that no man or devil was eternally damned". Denck's universalism sprang from his convictions that God is always merciful because He is love, loves His enemies as He teaches us to love ours, uses only corrective albeit sometimes painful and long-lasting ("eternal") punishment, and draws everyone back to unity in Him.
Origen's influence probably played a role. Unlike Origen, though, it seems that Denck avoided writing about universalism for fear of the authorities and preached it instead. After Denck's death, universalism was reportedly confessed by an Anabaptist imprisoned for heresy in 1528, and Denck's student Clement Ziegler published two treatises defending it in 1532, though he would keep quiet about it the last 20 years of his life. ==Selected works==