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Friday, February 12, 2010

4 comments:

Chris A said...

I really don't understand this. So Christians are supposed to feel guilty about retirement? Christians are supposed to feel guilty about reaping the rewards of their investments? Christians are supposed to feel guilty about playing bridge and "golfing their way into the presence of Jesus"? Talk about condemnation! Or am I missing something here?

I personally don't ever plan to retire, but I'm not going to point my finger at those who choose to. Besides, if the government and the bankers get their way, there won't be any money left for old folks anyway because their pensions and social security will eventually be stolen. And then preachers can gloat over the fact that we have to work until we die, and never have any free time to contribute meaningfully to our churches, families, or our own leisure.

Darius said...

I'll give you a little context and see if that helps. This is based on Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life, in which he encourages Christians to do what Jesus told his followers to do: deny themselves rather than gain the whole world and forfeit their soul. Piper isn't saying that it's wrong to retire... but that we should redeem that retirement and keep eternal treasures in mind. I know many American couples who retire, buy a big motor home, and drive the country for most of the remainder of their life, spending it on a perpetual vacation.

In his book, Piper gives the example of a couple who had retired young to Florida and talked about how much fun it was to collect shells on the shore. Collecting shells? Really?!? Now, who knows if that particular couple was Christian, but it does seem to indicate a lack of seriousness and eternity-thinking. And Jesus was pretty demanding of what He expected of His followers.

That's not to say that playing bridge or golfing is inherently wrong... but living a lifestyle that makes those into idols most definitely is.

Chris A said...

Well, I guess I'd have to read the book to see where he's coming from. I have never read any of his books.

Darius said...

It's a short book, but pretty good.

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Darius' book montage

The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel The Main Thing
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
Overcoming Sin and Temptation
According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible
Disciplines of a Godly Man
Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism Is the Solution and Not the Problem
When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Ourselves
The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
Respectable Sins
The Kite Runner
Life Laid Bare: The Survivors in Rwanda Speak
Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak
A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/calvinist, ... anabaptist/anglican, metho
Show Them No Mercy
The Lord of the Rings
Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass
The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception
Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming
The Chronicles of Narnia
Les Misérables


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