Good Energy, Lost World

Why do we do what we do

Last week, I had an article published over at Westminster Media. It’s a review of the New York Times bestselling book Good Energy by Casey Means. Lots of people are reading the book and being influenced by it, especially after a popular Tucker Carlson interview. I read it and have benefited from the health and nutritional wisdom I found, and so has our family. So, I was invested in this review. But that doesn’t mean I endorse the book wholesale, of course. In fact, I had some significant critiques on a deeper level based on my Christian faith. You can read the full review if you’re interested, or you can send it to others who are reading the book. In this post, I just want to pull out a broader message on ultimate purpose. This, in some ways, is the heart of the review.

What and Why

Good Energy is packed with passionate and informed (though not unbiased) insight on what it looks like to care for our bodies and minds. Much of that insight has been useful in my own life. I feel as if I’ve gone back in time. I’m living and eating much more like—I would imagine—people ate and lived a hundred years ago. No refined sugar. No processed foods. Lots of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Well-sourced meat. Getting much of our food locally from stands and farms. Increased exercise. I won’t go into more detail. But I feel better than I have in . . . well, as long as I can remember. (My wife was the one who drew my attention to this book, so she gets full credit for the changes we’ve been making. Actually, to be theologically correct, the Spirit gets full credit, since he is the one responsible for shaping us!)

But after weeks of reading and thinking about the book, the curiosity that rose to the surface was simply a question: Why? Means is what I call an evolutionary naturalist, with a materialist bent. She believes we are here because of evolution and the natural cycle of life, death, decomposition, and new birth. She has plenty of values and principles to live by, and most of them are admirable. But at the end of the day, why hold to these principles and values in an impersonal and ultimately purposeless existence that is based solely in matter, in material stuff? All of our smaller purposes, after all, are meaningless if there is no underlying purpose for human existence—no destiny toward which we’re headed. Without a direction set beyond and above us, we have no direction inside and around us. We can fool ourselves into thinking this isn’t the case. And we’re good at it. But that doesn’t make it true.

I know this sounds “philosophical” or annoyingly abstract to some people. They would rather focus on the here-and-now. “Who cares about greater purpose and meaning? We’ve got today. So, let’s make the best of what we’ve got.”

I can sympathize. But deep down, people aren’t really satisfied by that. They feel, in Charles Taylor’s words, nauseated by the emptiness and meaninglessness that daily erode their confidence. Our momentary purposes and pleasures have a shelf life, and it isn’t very long. The more we live, the less satisfied we are with the immediate. And that’s because we were made to want more than that. We were made to join a purposeful story far greater than ourselves. In fact, we’re already characters written into it. We have speaking parts. And the narrative surrounds us. God is telling us a story—primarily about himself and what he’s up to, but also about our relationship to him and how we find peace and rest amidst the strife and turmoil. That’s the story of our heavenly Father, who made and sustains all things. That’s the story of his Son, whom he sent to remake all things. That’s the story of the Holy Spirit, who was given to teach, guide, and direct us until we arrive home: with God. This is the grand story set out for us in Scripture.

Why, Why, Why

But if we reject that story, if we refuse to believe in the trinitarian Teller, then we drift. At best, we live beautiful lives that make no lasting sense. At worst, we roll through our days like egg shells, just waiting for the next bump to break us. We need God’s story to give our lives meaning and purpose. None of us is a character without a Creator.

That means we can drill down into our lives by asking why questions, searching for the deeper roots of our purpose, meaning, and longing. Are those roots in God’s story, or are they in our own shallow stories of self-searching?

For any worldview or perspective on life, drill down deeper with whys. Here are some that come from my reading and application of material in Good Energy.

• Why should I be careful about what I put into my body? Because my body is a temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).

• Why is my body a temple for the Holy Spirit? Because I have been saved through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:1-8), who sent the Spirit to sanctify me and be my Helper (John 14:16, 26; 15:26).

• Why have I been saved in Christ? Because I was chosen before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before God for eternity, all because of grace (Eph. 1:4).

• Why was I chosen before the foundation of the world? I honestly have no idea. The only reason is God’s mysterious love. And God is the one I long for more than anything else.

The path of whys leads me to awe and gratitude for the grace of God and his initiating love. I was made by him and for him. My meaning, purpose, and longings reside in him, not in myself. And if my meaning, purpose, and longings point to communion with him forever, then all of my little purposes and meanings each day align with that or emerge from it (or push against it).

But as I read Casey Means’s book, I ran into trouble early on, given her worldview (materialistic evolutionary naturalism).

• Why should I be careful about what I put into my body? Because that will enable me to live a longer life (until my body finally breaks down, and my consciousness dissolves).

• Why do I want to live a longer life? Hmm. I’m really not sure, given my destination as compost. But maybe it’s because dying doesn’t sound like something I want—even though Means argues that dying is a good, natural process by which I replenish the earth in a circle of life . . . I’m confused.

When I drill down with whys, I’m left not knowing ultimately why I’m here, what my larger purpose is, or where I’m going. That’s remarkably demotivating to me. And that’s a problem, because treating your body right is hard work . . . a lot of hard work. And apart from the truth in Jesus Christ, I don’t know why I would be doing that much work. If my destiny is compost, why not live exactly how I want to live regardless of the consequences?

This doesn’t mean I didn’t benefit from reading her book. I certainly did, and I’m grateful for her life and work. But I’m always concerned with why people do what they do and how it matters. Motive. Purpose. Meaning. Destiny. These are not just concepts; they are the cornerstones for intentional living. And if they are not rooted in God, we’re bound to end up confused, frustrated, and disoriented. That’s a big deal. Frankly, I have no clue how Means’s call to live an intentional, disciplined, focused life matches her worldview. I’m still scratching my head.

Never settle for only what you should do with your life. Know why you are doing it. Truth be told, our world doesn’t just need “good energy.” It needs the God of all good to live inside us. That will change everything—including how we treat our bodies and the earth around us. And that’s exactly what we get through Jesus Christ. The gospel isn’t about good energy; it’s about the God who makes all things good. And that’s much more inspiring. Good energy is grace from a good God.

Prayers for Next Book Finishing Up!

I’m weeks away from finishing my next book, which will be coming out with Christian Focus. The book looks at how our hope is in help. And the ancient problem that has plagued us since Genesis 3 is something called autonomy. Autonomy tells us to go our own way; it suggests we’re okay on our own. But Scripture shows time and time again how destructive this behavior is. We were made to ask for help, to lean in and listen to God, and to lean into his church. Would you pray with me that God would use this book mightily to draw his people closer to himself and to each other? Those prayers mean a lot!

Kindle Deal of the Month

“Apart from the author’s gripping transparency, the power of his advice comes from the fact that it is wholly and radically biblical and, therefore, counter-intuitive—especially so in today’s ‘conquer it … get over it’ culture.” — R. Kent Hughes