Advertising in Shamwow Language

You know that guy on the commercials that yells at you to buy things? You know who I'm talking about, it's that guy that advertises the "Shamwow!" (I've heard that it actually doesn't work). Sometimes I feel that Saint Augustine is that guy on the Shamwow commercial except for two things: one, he doesn't advertise things that you can buy online or by calling a 1-800 number; two, Saint Augustine doesn't yell at his audience but in a way kind of pleads to his readers. What exactly is Saint Augustine advertising? Whenever I read his confessions I get the feeling that he's telling his audience that those who have sinned can be saved. In other words, he's advertising salvation.

Going back to the whole stealing of the pears thing, Augustine makes the comment that he had no motive for stealing except for the pleasure derived from "the wickedness itself" (1) and that he actually loved "the self-destruction"(2). In a way all of us have probably done something like this, maybe not exactly steal, but we've let curiosity or the thrill of doing something that is not allowed get the better of us. By giving this example of his own sin, Augustine is telling his audience that everyone has been tempted in different ways and many have not been able to resist that lure. However, just because you have sinned doesn't mean that you still can't find God or find some salvation. By putting his own personal experiences into an autobiography in the form of confessions his audience can relate to him and see themselves in him; you realize that even saints struggle with everyday temptation. Yet, like Augustine, even those "sinners" can find their way back to a road of redemption by realizing their wrongs and having the will to resist. That's the way I see it. A message/advertisement that everyone struggles or gets lost, but you can always find your way back.

Citations:
(1) Saint Augustine. Confessions. Trans. Henry Chadwick. New York: Oxford University Press,
1998. 29.
(2) Saint Augustine. Confessions. Trans. Henry Chadwick. New York: Oxford University Press,
1998. 29.