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From the Evangelical Outpost:

“That movie was totally overrated. Now if you want to see a really worthwhile flick you should see…” Because film buffs like me say this type of thing all the time so I thought it would be a worthwhile exercise to actually list 50 of the most overrated and 50 of the most underrated films of all time.

A few of the overrated films are just plain bad while most are merely undeserving of the critical or popular praise they receive. The underrated films, though, are all examples of excellent cinema and should be considered at least slightly more worthy than the corresponding “overrated” film with which they share a category. The categories, which range from the obvious to the just plain odd, are intended to cover a broad selection of interests but are not meant to be exhaustive.

Here then are 100 of the most overrated and underrated films of all time (overrated on the left, underrated on the right):

The Rest of the Story…

It’s been clear for a while that Democrats were making an empty promise when they talked of treating our allies better and ‘restoring’ America’s reputation abroad. Respected Yale University professor and Democratic foreign policy expert Stuart Gottlieb, makes the case quite effectively:

The message Democrats are sending to the world is clear: You cannot trust America to honor its trade agreements, even with developing nations struggling to enter the global middle class. This is a far cry from Obama’s Lincolnesque promise in his Democratic nomination victory speech June 3rd to restore “our image as the last, best hope on earth.”

On Iraq, Democrats have put themselves in an equally tenuous position. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Obama and congressional Democrats remain committed to calling the “surge” a failure. And they are wedded to promises for immediate troop withdrawals.

Every reputable analysis of Iraq – including from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group – warns that a rapid reduction of US troops would reignite sectarian violence and threaten the government in Baghdad.

Nonetheless, more than 40 Democratic congressional candidates recently pledged that, if elected, they would legislate an immediate withdrawal of all troops except those guarding the US Embassy. And Obama maintains his vow to immediately begin removing “one to two combat brigades each month” – a pace that would represent the most frantic retreat since Vietnam.

On trade, it’s hard to picture a President Obama undoing the damage Congressional Democrats have already done. Presidential trade negotiating authority has elapsed. Existing trade deals–which were already modified to address labor and environmental concerns–were killed anyway. With Congress likely to face a crowded legislative agenda, there’s unlikely to be room for Obama to reclaim one of America’s most valuable ’soft’ foreign policy tools of the last few decades — trade.

President Calvin Coolidge rose to the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4,…

On July 9, 1858, Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas gave a campaign speech to a raucous throng from the balcony…

Charges of flip-flopping do play a big role–perhaps too much–in the rapid response operations of both campaigns. There are obviously a lot of reasons a candidate might alter his position that have nothing to do with political opportunism. After 9/11, for example, President Bush’s foreign policy changed in a dramatic way. I don’t think anyone–save perhaps Ron Paul–implored President Bush on 9/12 to stick with the neo-isolationist talking points of his campaign. Flip-flopping is very relevant, however, when it demonstrates a candidate either doesn’t know what he believes or is willing to set aside any conviction for political advancement.

In Obama’s case, I’m not sure which is true, but it is patently obvious from the speed and frequency with which his flip-flops seem to come that principle is not playing any role. Just consider his evolution in a single month: Obama opposed welfare reform, and now he supports it. Obama supported the D.C. handgun ban, and now he believes it was unconstitutional. Obama said he would accept public financing, and now he won’t. Obama opposed immunity for telecommunications companies involved in terrorist surveillance, and now he supports it. Obama opposed the death penalty in all cases, and now believes it is justified in certain extreme instances. Obama supported immediate withdrawal from Iraq, and now he’ll listen to the commanders on the ground if they tell him to phase out the troops slowly.

Nothing has fundamentally changed with any of these issues. The only thing that has changed is that Obama became the presumptive nominee. Andrew Sullivan says, “Sometimes a flip-flop is a sign of real maturity in a politician responding to new events or facts.” That’s only true however, when a candidate acknowledges and explains why he’s changing. Principle plays no role when the pol instead self-righteously asserts that there has been no change at all, and it also doesn’t play a role when a candidate claims that everyone simply misunderstood his previous position–as with the meaning of “negotiate with Iran without precondition”–even when the so-called misperception was widely reported and the candidate did nothing to correct it for many months.

Aside from charging the other side with flip-flopping, one other job typically assigned to a campaign’s war-room is correcting media reports that mischaracterize their candidate’s position. That Obama’s staff was apparently sitting on its hands shows Obama either meant what he said or wanted people to believe that he did.

Post by Collin Hansen

Christianity Today’s July cover takes its cue from the famous Time magazine cover from 1966 that asked, “Is God Dead?” CT responds “not yet” (?) with an article by William Lane Craig. He writes, “To paraphrase Mark Twain, the news of God’s demise was premature. For at the same time theologians were writing God’s obituary, a new generation of young philosophers was rediscovering his vitality.” Craig sees a turning point in 1967 with the publication of Alvin Plantinga’s God and Other Minds: A Study of the Rational Justification of Belief in God.

The cover package also includes Craig’s recommended reading on the existence of God.

Ken has more details on the trailer he created for the new series that we’re launching at NewSpring on July 13. That also happens to be the first day we are officially multi-site in Anderson and Greenville.

You Asked For It Promo 01 from Ken Wilson on Vimeo.

All of these questions were generated through a voting process with our church. First, we had folks submit questions on any topic. Then we had them vote on the most popular questions.

These are the questions NewSpringers are asking. I wonder what this series would look like if we didn’t allow church people to vote? What questions are people outside the church asking? Let me know if your church tries to tackle that one and design a series around those questions.

____________________

Here are four questions that I wrote down last Friday that the Lord is using to stretch me…

#1 - What do I need to stop doing?

Every leader should ask themselves this question about once a month.  If we are not careful our plates will become loaded up with things we feel like we have to do rather than the things we are called to do…and we begin to operate our lives out of obligation rather than celebration.  (When a leader ceases to celebrate his life/work because of all he feels he has to do–there is a problem.)

So, I’m making that list…it’s not going to be easy…but there are some things that must go…

#2 - Do I always have to be right?

One of the things the Lord has convicted me of lately is that I have always felt a silly desire to prove myself and show the world how “right” I am.  My primary calling by God is obedience…not defiance of those who disagree with me.

This question has caused me to slow down when someone brings up something that I do not disagree with…I ask is it worth the discussion…is it a matter of personal preference or Scriptural interpretation…will it impact the vision, you know, those sorts of things.  As I am growing as a leader I feel less and less the need to be right all of the time.

(By the way…the leader who always needs to be right will drive the leaders around him away.)

#3 - Am I helping people around me succeed?

If I am successful in life…then yea for me.  But if those around me are successful…THAT will define me as a leader.  People will not remember me for what I accomplish…but they will remember me for what I helped them to accomplish.  And…I SERIOUSLY want everyone around me to live a life beyond their dreams and become who God created them to be…and I am SOLD OUT to that.

#4 - Am I speaking positively of other people?
I had a friend once who would not allow you to say a positive thing about another pastor or leader.  Seriously, it didn’t matter who you were talking about they would say, “Yeah…that person is great and all, but…”

To be honest…I always wondered what they said about me.

One of the signs of a secure leader is that they can speak positively of other people without having to slam them at the same time.

Those are just a few things the Lord is using to stretch me!

This isn’t for senior pastors. (Though these same principles apply to your ministry.) And this post isn’t about weekend services. (Though it could be.) This advice is for every church leader who is responsible for a ministry, program or event that functions outside of the weekend services. (I’m pretty confident what I’m about to share is going to tick you off.) Here are:

9 Do’s and Don’ts for Ministry Growth

1. You don’t need a logo. A new logo isn’t the key to successful ministry. Life change is the key to successful ministry. Only Jesus can change lives. Yes, there are times when you’ll need to update your branding; however, it’s not going to make or break your ministry.
2. Your fancy flyers won’t help. 80% of the people who show up to a weekend service come with a friend who invites them. That same principle applies to your ministry as well. If people aren’t inviting their friends, that’s likely a ministry problem and not a promotions problem.
3. Put people first. Life change happens most often within the context of relationships. If your ministry isn’t helping people engage in relational connections (inside and outside of the church), then your ministry will not grow.
4. Lead your ministry. You should focus on that. You aren’t gifted at promotions (even though you think you are). You should let communications professionals focus on that, and stop fighting against the people who are trying to help you. Spend more time doing ministry and less time trying to promote your ministry.
5. Remember: print is dead. (this coming from someone who writes books). It’s highly likely that whatever you’re printing for your audience will just end up in a trash can. Any business in America relying on print media is dying a slow death. You should always think Web first with an emphasis on interactivity and building relationships.
6. Don’t wait on the church to establish online community. That’s your responsibility. Most people you’re trying to reach won’t visit your church’s website, but they will engage with your Web presence on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, your blog, etc.
7. You probably need to cut programs and events. Less is more. If you have fewer events and less programs, more people will connect with your ministry. Stop confusing them and help them focus on the next appropriate step. (Check this out.)
8. Grow through volunteers. As much as possible, let staff support ministry and encourage volunteers to be responsible for face-to-face connections with the people you are trying to reach or help. When you take those roles out of the hands of volunteers, you’ve essentially limited the growth of your ministry…and taken away their responsibility to make disciples.
9. You are not competing against other ministries. As soon as you sense “your ministry” is competing with another ministry in your church for money, volunteers, space, calendar time, platform promotions, etc., you should resign. You are not a leader. You are, at best, a manager of resources and, at worst, the one holding the entire ministry back from growth and unity.

Daniel Miessler:

Most in the United States don’t know much about the Middle East or the people that live there. This lack of knowledge hurts our ability to understand world events and, consequently, our ability to hold intelligent opinions about those events.

For example, frighteningly few know the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and most think the words “Arab” and “Muslim” are pretty much interchangeable. They aren’t. So here’s a very brief primer aimed at raising the level of knowledge about the region to an absolute minimum.

Read the whole thing.

HT: Joe Carter

Several weeks ago I shared the following story at NewSpring Church…but I just can’t seem to get it out of my head.

Last month I was in Oklahoma to record my One Prayer message at LifeChurch…and on the way back to the airport the crew I was with decided to stop at Mi Mi’s cafe for some grub.

While walking towards the front door I noticed an elderly gentlemen walking across the other end of the parking lot…and it was literally a struggle for him to take a step.  He wasn’t “normal” I guess you could say.  And so…when he went to step up on the curb he fell flat on his face.

He tried to get up…but he couldn’t.  And so finally he just began to hit the ground and say out loud over and over again, “God #$%& it, God @#$% it!”  (For those wondering…yes, he took the Lord’s name in vein!

At this point I ran over to him…but before I finish the story I want to include…
He didn’t need a lecture about using dirty words - He had fallen, he was hurt.  Would I have been right if I had told him not to use those words?  Yes, heck, I even have verses to back that up…but it wasn’t about being right.   If I had lectured him I would have missed meeting his greatest need.

He didn’t need to be studied - Seriously, he didn’t need me getting the group I was with for a discussion as to whether or not he was predestined to fall…or whether he had fallen because of the choices he had made.

He didn’t need to be put into a program - The biggest need for this guy was NOT to be enrolled in a “How to walk effectively across the parking lot class.”

He didn’t need to be ignored - I could have just acted as if he wasn’t there; after all, there were lots of people in the restaurant already…and if it would have gotten too many people in it then everyone would have not been able to know everyone.  It IS about who knows who–isn’t it?

He didn’t need me to try and establish a relationship with him - An invitation to “hang out” at my house in order to establish community would have done this guy no good.

What he needed was for me to put out my hand and help him up…which is what I did.  At first he tried to tell me he was ok…but he and I both knew the opposite was true.  I helped the guy to his feet and he thanked me over and over.  I tried to help him inside the restaurant…but he told me he could make it from there.

I walked inside and dismissed myself from the crew I was with.  I went to the restroom and about lost it.  The Lord spoke to my heart and showed me that people in this world who are lost are just like that old man…but unfortunately the church wants to lecture people like that…or get into groups to study them…or ignore them…or whatever else…

BUT what these people need is for the church to extend a hand and help them–for that is when we will have our greatest opportunity to point out the fact that they need Jesus.  Jesus said in Matthew 20:28 that He didn’t come to be served but to serve…and that should be our passion as well…serve others into the kingdom.

That little episode in Oklahoma messed me up!  People all around us have fallen…they need our help…the church is more equipped to help than ANYONE or ANYTHING in the world.  The question is will we be willing to step up and extend a helping hand?

Even before the Nazi Party came to power, the doctors of Weimar Germany began to divide humanity into those who should live and those who should die. They developed the category of “life unworthy of life” in order to designate those whose infirmity, deformity, race, or lifestyle rendered them subhuman in terms of rights.

Similarly, the eugenicists of the twentieth century — in America as well as in Europe — divided humanity into the “fit” and the “unfit,” and called for more children from the fit, less from the unfit.

Read Full Blog…