On Retirement

Retirement has become an entitlement to many in the West, and the sooner the better many believe.

Not all that long ago folks didn’t think like this, and only few could retire the way many do today.

For many, to retire means to cease working and to start living for fun and relaxation with very few responsibilities. In other words, find a place in the sunny weather, play golf, take trips … do what you want.

I wonder how many pastors and theologians are thinking much about retirement. How does our Western theory of retirement fit into our theology and our beliefs? I think about this some these days as retirement age begins to get closer and closer, but I’m wondering what resources we have for a “retirement theology”?

Furthermore, many want to retire to sunny places. Some think even more grandiose about sunny laces, like this piece from MSN.com. Any thoughts on this kind of retirement?

The best place in the world to retire, according to expatriate lifestyle magazine , is sunny, cheap, cosmopolitan and 8,000 feet high in the Andes.

Cuenca, Ecuador’s third-largest city, is a well-preserved colonial city of cobblestone streets and dramatic period architecture, with modern suburbs, shopping and all the comforts American retirees might expect. Yet they can live there — and well — for about $17,000 a year, the magazine says.