I was thinking about the question that Dr. Mitchell asked in class on Thursday: does Augustine denounce some things unnecessarily? I think that the answer is no. Everyone has different struggles and experiences in life that can influence choices. I think that many of the things that Augustine deplores were struggles for him earlier in his life. I also think that the lifestyles that people, even Christians, live today is completely different than what would have been expected in Augustine’s time. Our society is dominated by technology and everything that goes along with it, such as distasteful movies, music, and video games. Worldly, sinful things are so easily accessible and accepted today that sometimes we do not stop and think about it actually being a sin. James 4:4 says “…Whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.” In today’s society, we have become so accustomed to things of the world that most of the time we do not even view them as things of the world. I believe that Augustine truly understood that he could not have a lukewarm life. He had to choose between the world and God, and even though to some, his denouncing of sin is over-exaggerated, I think that he chose to hate things of this world in order to live for God 100 percent.