I received an advance proof copy of a soon-to-be-released book from Crossway titled Die Young – Burying Yourself In Christ. It is written by Michael and Hayley DiMarco, a husband and wife team out of Nashville, TN. They are self-described as focusing on “producing books that combine hard-hitting biblical truth with cutting-edge design.” This particular title will be produced as an enhanced e-book, and there will also be online chapter videos that will coincide with the book. Die Young makes some very good points, to be sure, but I just got the feel that it wasn’t completely thought through from beginning to end. That may be due to the fact that my copy is not a final version of the book, so don’t let that influence whether or not you decide to read it. Like I said, it makes some really good points, and some no-so-good points. And some of it is just plain confusing.
The title of the book – Die Young – seems to be somewhat off-target with the content of the book. I understand the authors are trying to make a play on words with “Die” and “Burying Yourself”, but I spent most of the book trying to figure out what the “young” part had to do with the dying part. Unless I missed it somewhere, that is really never explained. It’s a bit confusing, because the DiMarcos define dying young as living “for Christ and nothing else, to be set free from the bondage of sin and self, and to live a new kind of life.” OK, I get that, but I don’t get where the idea of being young comes into play, especially since in the prologue we read, “no matter how old you are, you can die young”. So, if dying young has nothing to do with age, what does it have to do with? Like I said, it just seems a bit confusing. I understand their talk of living for Christ and being set free from sin and self. I just don’t get where the young part fits into that if it has nothing to do with age. Perhaps a better idea would simply be to call it “Die to Self – Burying Your Life In Christ”. Since the book is about dying to self, why not just call it that? But hey, I’m just an amateur at this anyway, so what do I know?
Make no mistake, this book makes some great statements and grounds itself in some solid doctrine. Consider these examples:
“A life that refuses to die to self is a life that refuses the very words of God.”
“If God isn’t changing you, then he hasn’t saved you.”
“This movement from death to life isn’t one of human strength or ingenuity but of cross and blood, of Father and Son, of power and might.”
“When you can become content with less you will find more time for what really matters.”
“God’s grace takes away the guilt of man in exchange for the innocence of Christ.”
In attempting to explain this paradox that dying to self is actually living, the DiMarcos use a number of seemingly self-contradictory statements for each new chapter and each new main point. Down is the new up. Less is the new more. Weak is the new strong. Red is the new white. And so forth. There are some good points made in each of these chapters, such as this gem in Chapter 1, Death is the New Life:
“You were made as an image bearer of God. But sin distorts that image, like a twisted funhouse mirror. Sanctification is the process that removes that distortion so that you better reflect the image of Christ; and it requires little of you really – little more than the death of self we are talking about – because as you quit relying on yourself for life, you quit relying on yourself to take part in your own salvation. Your demise frees you from the job of savior in your own life and puts it squarely on Christ’s shoulders on the cross.”
While there are some great points made in this book, there are also some confusing statements as well. I think the authors have tried to take these plays on words – like “down is the new up” and “red is the new white” a little too far at times. Consider these statements which were hard for me to decipher:
“When we let down do its work up will be the result.”
“But this is upside down thinking that results in your up becoming your down.”
“So let’s take a look at some of the more that less can become when it’s less of you and more of him.”
“If your heart has a hard time believing justification by the blood, then consider killing the part of you that would argue against God’s gracious and necessary gift.”
Statements like these are peppered throughout the book and, in my opinion, only serve to confuse the reader who has to stop and replay the words over and over to try and figure out exactly what it is the authors are trying to say. Maybe I’m too much of a simpleton, but perhaps the best thing would be to just say what it is you want to say in simple terms, rather than using a play on words.
In the end, the main theme of the book comes through. And I enjoyed the opportunity to read it. The biblical idea of dying to self is one that is vital to the believer. And this book serves to help the reader in focusing on what that means in the day-to-day life of the Christian. I gladly recommend it to you.
Sleeping At Last
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