The Cheap Grace of White Privilege and the Costly Grace of Repentant Antiracism

Abstract

In this essay, the author juxtaposes contemporary culture wars over white privilege with the critique of cheap grace by Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This is done to show that grace as an alternative to works-righteousness and meritocracy can also be used ideologically to justify the status quo. Thus, Christians must continuously interrogate the use of grace to ask who benefits from it. The author then pairs broader Lutheran theological staples (bondage to sin, the call to repentance, a theology of the cross, and kenotic discipleship) with leading black prophetic voices and analyses of white privilege by critical race theorists. This is done to argue that Lutherans, alongside other denominations, are well-positioned to live into costly grace by hearing and heeding the call to become anti-racist disciples of Jesus.