in order to fully and completely confront our slavery to the fear of death, we must “die” to our entire identity as it is currently configured. Moreover, we must “die” to the overarching cultural hero system, the way everyone around us makes meaning and defines success and significance. And that is a terrifying prospect. This is a renunciation on a grand scale where the “old man” (a death-saturated identity producing sinful attitudes and behaviors) is “buried” so that a “new creation” (an identity rooted in Christ) can be raised to take its place.
