So I want to talk about a problem that I'm going to set up first and then show you some examples of how people try to solve the problem in the second part of the presentation.

So the basic problem is how are human free choice and divine grace compatible?

And the idea is that we all naturally have the power of free choice, but if we have

deeply ingrained habits, these habits cause us to choose in accord with our habits.

So then the question arises, how can we break out of old habits and form new habits?

And according to Augustine, this fourth century figure that I'm going to be talking

about tonight, the answer to this is divine grace. And specifically he says that God has to give us

two things if we're going to change our habits. First of all, the idea or the suggestions to change

our lifestyle, and secondly, the effective decision to change our lifestyle.

So obviously, especially with regard to the second item there, the question arises how we're free then, right?

If we're going to improve, allegedly we need God's grace to give us the decision, but then how are we free?

How are we exercising free choice?

Okay, so I'm going to start from the basics and work my way up to this problem, and then

we'll talk about solutions to the problem.

How many people here have read The Confessions by Augustine?

Okay, okay.

Good, so this is not a complete review for everyone. I won't read through all of the items, but these are the main events in his life that are described in the confessions.

Obviously here, the part that I bolded is the thing that's most relevant to the topic that we're going to talk about tonight. Okay, so Augustine describes in the confessions how he underwent this dramatic shift in his

lifestyle, his way of living.

It's in book eight of the confessions.

And he thinks that this happened because of grace.

Okay, so he then elaborates a theory of grace, partly to explain what he thinks happened to him.

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