By Marisa Young | Reporter
Dr. Malcolm Foley, special adviser to the president for equity and campus engagement and pastor of Mosaic Church Waco, sought to remedy racial violence by attacking its root cause: greed. This led him to release his first book, “The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money Is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward,” which examines the two issues in light of American history and biblical truth.
When first considering a book on racial violence, Foley said he felt unsatisfied with the conversations regarding race in the church.
“It was through interrogation that I got to the point of, ‘Oh, this is why I’m not satisfied with it,’ because it doesn’t get to the actual root of the issue,” Foley said. “Historically, racism began in greed, and that’s what continually feeds it. So if we’re trying to actively build anti-racist communities, they’ve got to be fundamentally anti-greed communities.”
In writing a book, Foley said he hoped to spread awareness of this fundamental truth and thus, inspire truth-driven action.
“I hope this is a tool to get our eyes off of ourselves and outward toward our neighbors, and that we would then ask the Lord for the strength … to be able to serve the people that he’s called us to serve,” Foley said.
His book primarily introduces the topic of mammon — the Aramaic concept of greed or money — and how Christians should combat the worship of mammon with biblical truth. In a thorough observation of American history, Foley explores how mammon-driven ideals have shaped modern conceptions of race.
“The desire for money, the desire for land, the desire for resources, those lie more at the root of this nation than any other values,” Foley said. “And similarly, it bleeds into the way that the church operates.”
Having unveiled the heart of racial violence and discrimination, the second half of his book compels the church to take biblically-aligned, truth-driven action against it. Drawing from scriptures such as John 3, Foley echoes the call on Christians to love one’s neighbor, regardless of race or any other label.
“That’s the most fundamental category with which we ought to interact with one another,” Foley said. “You are a person created in the image of God and therefore worthy of my love.”
Foley contends that this basic principle is the remedy to racism and greed alike and forms the core argument of his book.
“Love is material investment in your neighbor, brother or sister,” Foley said.
Irvine, Calif., senior Leah Cole said she felt that Foley’s book greatly expanded on her previous knowledge of racism and American history.
“My biggest takeaway was how many gaps in my education there are and how unnatural it felt to read about a lot of these cases of lynchings and other crimes committed against minorities,” Cole said. “I never got that in my public [or] private school upbringing; we would very much skip over whenever things got too dark.”
Grapevine junior Darby Francis said she appreciated the perspective on money and greed that Foley presents, especially in an atmosphere that centers around “maximizing shareholder value.”
“I think being in the business school, it’s kind of hard to ignore the size of mammon because we’re faced with those decisions every day,” Francis said. “It’s spooky to think about how … many people are getting lost in it.”
As a fellow business student, Cole agreed that reading Foley’s book was grounding in the midst of modern consumerism.
“Success looks very numerically based in the eyes of [the business school],” Cole said. “But living is not about accumulating more than your neighbor; it’s about loving your neighbor.”
Foley’s book is available for purchase on Amazon, GoogleBooks and Audible.
