Are Retired Christians Among America’s Most Miserable?
New Book Says Yes
For Immediate Release (Lincoln, NE) — Over 30 million Americans are reaching retirement age between 2024 and 2030, marking a historic surge. In his new book, “The Over 50 Advantage” co-written with Rick Lawrence, Arnie Cole, CEO of Back to the Bible, reveals research that shows while Christians over 50 are active believers — praying daily, reading the Bible, attending church — they are also among the most miserable people in America.
“They're some of the wealthiest people in the country, and they still can't stop worrying about their financial future and can't stop criticizing the people around them,” says Cole. “We've spent years assuming this is an equipping problem — that they just need a little more teaching, a better sermon, another small group. But it isn't. It's a motivation problem. They've already received the truth, reflected on it, and even responded to it. What they haven't done is reveal it — get out of the Christian bubble and risk something for somebody else. And until they do, all that knowledge curdles. A faith with no outward focus turns inward and starts feeding on the people next to it.”
Cole says it was a conversation with his pastor that made him rethink his own retirement on a personal level.
“My pastor told me there are no examples of retirement in the Bible,” says Cole. “As believers, we should never retire from giving the good treasure of our lives away to other people. The adventure of following Jesus does not have a sunset clause. Most Americans heading into their post-paycheck years are aiming at what I call the Viking River Cruise life — comfort, security, financial nest egg, maybe some travel. But when you look at the research on what produces life-satisfaction in retirement, two of the top three drivers are nowhere on that list. The real fuel is purpose and meaningful relationships built around serving other people. Comfort is a false summit — you climb it and there's nothing there. So, I tell people: stop using the word ‘retirement.’ Start using ‘next adventure.’ You're not 65 and done. You're 65 and finally have the time, the resources, the wisdom, and the freedom to do the most consequential work of your life.”
Cole also shares his personal testimony in “The Over 50 Advantage,” including what he calls his “Christmas Carol” moment with God.
“I had sold my companies at 45, bought a bigger boat, and I was cruising up the West Coast headed for Alaska — living the postcard version of the American Dream,” says Cole. “And a storm came up that I genuinely thought was going to swallow my ship. I made a foxhole promise in that boat: God, if you save me, I will live my life for others, not myself, from this point on. He saved me. I survived. And I kept the promise. Like Scrooge, I was shown the bankruptcy of the life I had built, and I got handed a second chance to do something different with the time I had left. In losing the life I'd planned, I found a life I couldn't have imagined. Same guy, same skills, same wife — completely different target.”
The new book also includes stories from the Bible that the authors describe as “50 Pivotal Moments of Faith.” Cole says he has a favorite: Zacchaeus.
“Here's a wealthy, despised, self-serving man who's spent his whole career protecting his comfort and security at other people's expense,” says Cole. “Jesus walks into Jericho, looks up into a tree, and calls him by name. That's me. I climbed plenty of my own trees trying to get a look at Jesus from a safe distance. And what I love about that story is that Jesus doesn't lecture him. He doesn't hand him a list of behaviors to clean up. He just invites Himself over for dinner. And by the time the meal is over, Zacchaeus has voluntarily given away half his wealth and committed to repaying anyone he cheated four times over. Nobody made him do it. The encounter itself re-ordered him. That's what happened to me in the storm off the coast headed to Alaska — not a behavior modification program, an encounter. And the fruit of that encounter is the same fruit Jesus named in Zacchaeus's house: hope. That story isn't ancient history for me. That's my biography in someone else's sandals.”
“They're some of the wealthiest people in the country, and they still can't stop worrying about their financial future and can't stop criticizing the people around them,” says Cole. “We've spent years assuming this is an equipping problem — that they just need a little more teaching, a better sermon, another small group. But it isn't. It's a motivation problem. They've already received the truth, reflected on it, and even responded to it. What they haven't done is reveal it — get out of the Christian bubble and risk something for somebody else. And until they do, all that knowledge curdles. A faith with no outward focus turns inward and starts feeding on the people next to it.”
Cole says it was a conversation with his pastor that made him rethink his own retirement on a personal level.
“My pastor told me there are no examples of retirement in the Bible,” says Cole. “As believers, we should never retire from giving the good treasure of our lives away to other people. The adventure of following Jesus does not have a sunset clause. Most Americans heading into their post-paycheck years are aiming at what I call the Viking River Cruise life — comfort, security, financial nest egg, maybe some travel. But when you look at the research on what produces life-satisfaction in retirement, two of the top three drivers are nowhere on that list. The real fuel is purpose and meaningful relationships built around serving other people. Comfort is a false summit — you climb it and there's nothing there. So, I tell people: stop using the word ‘retirement.’ Start using ‘next adventure.’ You're not 65 and done. You're 65 and finally have the time, the resources, the wisdom, and the freedom to do the most consequential work of your life.”
Cole also shares his personal testimony in “The Over 50 Advantage,” including what he calls his “Christmas Carol” moment with God.
“I had sold my companies at 45, bought a bigger boat, and I was cruising up the West Coast headed for Alaska — living the postcard version of the American Dream,” says Cole. “And a storm came up that I genuinely thought was going to swallow my ship. I made a foxhole promise in that boat: God, if you save me, I will live my life for others, not myself, from this point on. He saved me. I survived. And I kept the promise. Like Scrooge, I was shown the bankruptcy of the life I had built, and I got handed a second chance to do something different with the time I had left. In losing the life I'd planned, I found a life I couldn't have imagined. Same guy, same skills, same wife — completely different target.”
The new book also includes stories from the Bible that the authors describe as “50 Pivotal Moments of Faith.” Cole says he has a favorite: Zacchaeus.
“Here's a wealthy, despised, self-serving man who's spent his whole career protecting his comfort and security at other people's expense,” says Cole. “Jesus walks into Jericho, looks up into a tree, and calls him by name. That's me. I climbed plenty of my own trees trying to get a look at Jesus from a safe distance. And what I love about that story is that Jesus doesn't lecture him. He doesn't hand him a list of behaviors to clean up. He just invites Himself over for dinner. And by the time the meal is over, Zacchaeus has voluntarily given away half his wealth and committed to repaying anyone he cheated four times over. Nobody made him do it. The encounter itself re-ordered him. That's what happened to me in the storm off the coast headed to Alaska — not a behavior modification program, an encounter. And the fruit of that encounter is the same fruit Jesus named in Zacchaeus's house: hope. That story isn't ancient history for me. That's my biography in someone else's sandals.”
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About Arnie Cole:
Arnie Cole, Ed.D, is CEO of Back to the Bible and has served as a social researcher for more than three decades. His work focuses on discipleship formation, spiritual fitness, and translating research data into practical ministry strategy for the local church and Christian media. Visit https://www.backtothebible.org/ for more information. |
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