Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Movies

Here are some movie reviews. You can click this website for even more:
http://newsbusters.org/media-topics/entertainment-media/movies

Also, go ahead and post!! I'm sure you have something to say about at least one of these that have been referenced, or else go have a milkshake.

Hollywood's Double Standard: 'Redacted' Praised, '24' Has to Move Left
By Ken Shepherd February 5, 2008 - 11:16 ET
The writers' strike is giving conservative fans of "24" a temporary reprieve from a maddening, preachy plots planned in the new season. So argues Bryan Preston at Hot Air, noting that Hollywood praises liberal anti-military, anti-war on terror fare like "Redacted," while it can't abide a pro-American, pro-war on terror far like "24," despite the latter being vastly more successful as a commercial enterprise than the former.
Preston notes that Day 7 of "24" opens by featuring lead character Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) defending his actions before a congressional committee that will doubtless rail against his methods in obtaining intelligence from terrorists. He notes this merely gives fictional liberal senators air time to echo arguments "24" fans here time and again from real life liberal politicians and the mainstream media (emphasis mine):

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Ben Stein Documentary: Intelligent Design Scholars Muzzled By Scientific Establishment
By Kevin Mooney January 28, 2008 - 10:05 ET
American freedom is under assault within the scientific establishment and the academic community where the proponents of Intelligent Design (ID) theory are being silenced and marginalized at the expense of research that could potentially expand human knowledge and boost medical research, according to a new documentary that raises questions about Darwinian assumptions.
A growing number of scientists with expertise in biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy have encountered a level of complexity in the observable universe that in their estimation cannot be sufficiently explained by a random, directionless process. For this reason, they are compelled to offer up alternative theories for biological and astronomical objects that appear to be carefully calibrated and finely tuned by way of an intelligent agent.
Unfortunately, scientists in the United States who offer up Intelligent Design as a possible alternative to Charles Darwin’s 150 year old theories about the origins of life and the evolutionary process often find they cannot speak out without jeopardizing their careers and professional reputations.
“Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” calls attention to the plight of highly credentialed researchers and scholars who have been forced out of prestigious positions. Instead of entertaining a free, unrestrained open debate on the merits of competing theories, the scientific establishment has instead moved to suppress the Intelligent Design movement in a “systematic and ruthless” fashion at odds with America’s founding principles, the film asserts.

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Was 2007 the Year of the Pro-Life Movie?
By Ken Shepherd January 22, 2008 - 15:38 ET
Mark Moring has an interesting read at Christianity Today's Web site. He recalls all the popular movies in 2007 that feature life-affirming responses to unexpected pregnancy in films such as "Knocked Up," "Waitress," "Juno," "Bella," and "August Rush.":
To some, it was a year of war movies and "statement" flicks—including In the Valley of Elah, Lions for Lambs, and Rendition. Meanwhile, David Poland of Movie City News declared 2007 "Oscar's Year of the Man," noting that of the top sixteen contenders for best picture, only three were headlined by women.
But others noticed a different trend: In some ways, 2007 was the Year of Pro-Life Cinema.

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'Juno' Scores Four Award Nominations
By Colleen Raezler January 22, 2008 - 14:45 ET
Ordinarily there wouldn't be a link between an awards ceremony and the anniversary of legally sanctioned abortion. But this was before "Juno."
Today marks the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case which gave women access to legal abortions. This morning the Academy Award nominees were also announced, and "Juno," a movie in which a teenage girl chooses adoption over abortion, scored nominations for Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture.

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Feminist Film Critic Decries Lack of Abortion Politics in 'Juno'
By Colleen Raezler December 6, 2007 - 17:08 ET
What will it take for film critics to be satisfied with movies about young, unmarried pregnant women?
For most, a clever script and outstanding performances will suffice, but not so for Lisa Schwarzbaum, a film critic for Entertainment Weekly. It must also carry a weighty discussion on the "hard-won, precious rights" to choose.
"Juno," the latest film about an unintended pregnancy carried to term, opens nationwide December 14. The movie reportedly depicts Juno, the pregnant 16-year-old lead character, deciding to place her baby for adoption after a chance encounter with a pro-life protester at an abortion clinic.
Schwarzbaum said in her review of the film, "The old-school feminist in me wishes ‘Juno' spent more time, even a tart sentence or two, acknowledging that the options taken for granted by this one attractive, articulate teen are in fact hard-won, precious rights, and need to be guarded by a new-generation army of Junos and Bleekers, spreading the word by text message as well as by hamburger phone."

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Johnny Depp: Serial Killer He Plays in 'Sweeney Todd' Is a 'Victim'
By Ken Shepherd December 6, 2007 - 17:05 ET
What is it with Johnny Depp and Victorian Era serial killers?
Six years ago the liberal Hollywood fixture played London police detective Frederick Abberline in "From Hell," a violent conspiracy theory-driven whodunnit about the 1888 murder spree of Jack the Ripper. In his newest big screen release, Depp stars as the title character in "Sweeney Todd," a film about a fictional 19th century London barber who kills his customer-victims using his barber's razor.
Pretty ghoulish stuff, of course, but according to Depp, such a monstrous character is also deserving of some empathy. Reports Tom O'Neil of the Los Angeles Times:

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Bozell Column: 'Bella' and the Pro-life Movie Trend
By Brent Bozell October 26, 2007 - 20:27 ET
In a political act loaded with cultural symbolism, Senator Hillary Clinton endorsed an effort to earmark a million taxpayer dollars for a museum in Bethel, New York celebrating the circus of 1969, the Woodstock music festival. Other senators smelled the pork and successfully voted to remove it.
The tie-dyed, drug-soaked post-war babies that populated that muddy plain are now approaching Social Security age, and the aging hippies that made their way into the establishment want to imbue the notorious excesses of their youth with respectability. The New York Times said the Bethel complex would be "what Cooperstown is to baseball" – a hippie Hall of Fame.
I liked that music. I still do. Then as now, I simply ignored the cultural and political messages. Many others didn’t.
The bohemian worldview of Woodstock Nation is in some ways dominant, and in some ways passe in our popular culture. Hallucinogenic drugs are no longer the rage, but the "free love" spirit of "if it feels good, do it" still runs strong, especially in our entertainment world. And yet, burbling beneath a noisy culture of sexual excess and self-love, there’s a quiet undercurrent in our movies carrying subtle, and even obvious pro-life themes.

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35 Errors Discovered in Al Gore’s Film
By Noel Sheppard October 21, 2007 - 20:25 ET
NewsBusters readers are well aware of the recent controversy involving Al Gore’s schlockumentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”
A few weeks ago, a British judge cited nine errors in the film. Team Gore responded Thursday in a rebuttal published at the Washington Post’s Fact Checker blog.
Now, famed climate change skeptic Christopher Monckton, in a detailed report published by the Science and Public Policy Institute, not only refuted Gore’s defense of the movie's contents, but also listed a total of 35 errors in the award-winning abomination responsible for most of the global warming hysteria sweeping the planet (emphasis added):

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WaPo Film Critic: Where's the Abortion?
By Kristen Fyfe July 16, 2007 - 14:44 ET
Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday wants abortion. In the movies, that is. In her July 15 piece Hornaday complains that two box office successes this summer, “Waitress” and “Knocked Up,” feature main characters that are pregnant. Both are unmarried and less than thrilled with their pregnancies. Both have their babies.
“It’s a setup that has some viewers, especially women who came of age in a post-Roe v. Wade America, wondering just what world these movies are living in.”
Well, Ann, they’re living in the modern day world where the number of out-of-wedlock births among 20- and 30-something women is dramatically up, according to a poll conducted by Pew Research. Just look at Brangelina, if you want to see what that looks like in real life.

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Cuban Hospitals That Michael Moore Won't Show You
By Ken Shepherd July 11, 2007 - 17:01 ET
(h/t Katie Favazza of Townhall.com)
Townhall.com's Josue Sierra's blog today shares with readers just how "SiCKO" the state of Cuban health care is.
Not every Cuban gets the Potemkin village treatment Michael Moore gave 9/11 workers featured in his latest documentary.
Click on this link to see how ill-equipped and run-down the average Cuban hospital is. Sierra links to the original blog post by Stefania Lapenna at "Free Thoughts." The photos were taken by one Dr. Darsi Ferrer.

Ken Shepherd's blog
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Angelina, Aladdin, 24, Racist? WashPost Holds Racial Hypersensitivity In Cinema Day
By Tim Graham June 24, 2007 - 14:16 ET
The front of the Washington Post Style section on Saturday was dominated by two features on Hollywood stereotyping. At the bottom was Teresa Wiltz suggesting that Angelina Jolie playing Afro-Cuban Mariane Pearl in "A Mighty Heart" is somehow comparable to blackface minstrel shows. But that's not as odd as the top story by William Booth on stereotyped Arab villains, illustrated by the cartoon image of Jafar, the villainous vizier in the Disney cartoon "Aladdin." Earth to the Post: everyone in "Aladdin," heroes and villains, is Arab.
Booth's story actually only raised the issue of the opening song lyrics of "Aladdin," which joked about vicious ear-slicing barbarians, which the Arab-American activists successfully pressed Disney to remove. After that scrubbing, I imagine the children would also hear about "Ali Baba and the Forty Upstanding Merchants." The star of the Booth piece, retired professor Jack Shaheen, also deplored the Fox drama "24" as "the worst of smears" for portraying American Arabs as the terrorist next door. Booth began in Los Angeles:

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News



Sci Fi Cartoon: Evil Humans Invade Alien Planet - An Allegory for US 'Imperialism'
By Warner Todd Huston June 21, 2007 - 03:55 ET
It was bound to happen. A Sci Fi film is being produced presenting humans as the evil, alien aggressors invading a peace loving alien planet, the allegory, according to the producers, being a comment upon the "imperialism" of the United States. Innocent aliens being killed by evil, imperialist space faring humans and it appears to be all George Bush's fault... again.
Science Fiction has used the alien invasion over and over for decades supposedly as an allegorical statement about the human condition contemporary to the production of a given film. In "Independence Day" the aliens are here to destroy us. This film was ridiculously criticized as nothing but "American jingoism" with Americans imagining themselves the saviors of the world because, with the USSR fallen, Americans were the only remaining superpower. Conversely, in the classic 1951 film "The Day The Earth Stood Still", a friendly alien visitor to Earth is shot down by the evil military and it is we, rather than the aliens, who are the bad guys. This film was supposedly about the Cold War but at least we humans were characterized as simply fearful in the 50s classic. Perhaps that benefit of the doubt for humanity is now gone as far as this new cartoon is concerned?
USA Today reports on "Terra", a new cartoon with voice work from the likes of Danny Glover (no selling point for the film there!), Dennis Quaid, Ron Perlman, Luke Wilson, Amanda Peet, Rosanna Arquette and James Garner.

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NY Times Writer Laments Lack of 'Choice' in 'Knocked Up'
By Ken Shepherd June 11, 2007 - 11:26 ET
Mireya Navarro of The New York Times took 32 paragraphs in her June 10 Fashion & Style section article to tell you what I'm about to in one sentence. (h/t Clay Waters of NB sister publication TimesWatch)
Liberal Hollywood doesn't feature women having abortions in TV and movies very often because it's bad to alienate a sizable chunk, if not an outright majority, of your audience who are pro-life.
Of course, you can't fault Hollywood for being pro-choice where it counts to them most. Choosing plotlines and conventional stories that boost the bottom line. That is, unless you're an artiste who is forever battling the crass capitalistic forces of banality, like say, Christopher Keyser. You know, the cinematic Michelangelo that gave us the late-1990s Fox drama 'Party of Five.' Navarro thought it important that we hear from him and other liberals in the industry who lament this one area where Hollywood remains mostly conservative, if only because they feel the heat rather than see the light.

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C-SPAN Featured Film about Leftist and PC Indoctrination in US Higher Education
By Lynn Davidson May 19, 2007 - 05:55 ET

The “Weekly Standard” profiled libertarian-leaning conservative and political commentator turned documentarian Evan Coyne Maloney, whose new documentary about the leftist ideological indoctrination and pervasive political correctness in the US higher education system is called “Indoctrinate U”. Saturday May 19, CSPAN ran a segment about his film on the network’s “Washington Journal”, but CSPAN posts footage of the shows online (when they have it up, I'll post it. His spot is at the two-hour mark). You can see a clip of his film on YouTube as well as the film's website, Indoctrinate-U.com.
“Indoctrinate U” focuses on the pervasive trampling of free speech and thought on college campuses and traces the modern history of free expression on campuses from the ‘60s through today. The doc covers personal stories like “the Kafka-esque nightmare faced by Steve Hinkle, a student at California Polytechnic, who the school attempted to sanction for placing a flier in the university's multicultural center announcing a speech by conservative African-American author, Mason Weaver.” It also features a professor who “excitedly tells the camera ‘whiteness is a form of racial oppression…treason to whiteness is loyalty to humanity’.”
The “Weekly Standard” highlighted what the documentary covers (my emphasis throughout):

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Chicago Girl Sues Teacher for Showing 'Brokeback Mountain' to Class
By Terry Trippany May 14, 2007 - 05:54 ET
A 12 year old girl is suing the Chicago Board of Education for negligence, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress after a substitute teacher led her 8th grade class to watch the film Brokeback Mountain with the warning, "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class," according to the lawsuit.
The teacher then proceeded to show the 8th grade elementary school class the R rated gay themed film; a film that garnered its rating for sexual content, language and drug use.
According to the suit, a substitute teacher introduced herself as Ms. Buford to Jessica's class at Ashburn Community Elementary School, 8300 S. St. Louis Ave. She then said, "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class," the suit claims. Buford then had a student close the door, and started showing the controversial R-rated film, which features two men engaged in sex.

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British Reviewer Laments 'Sunday School Morality', American Flag in 'Spider-Man 3'
By Ken Shepherd May 4, 2007 - 12:18 ET
Reminiscent of an earlier review of "Spider-Man 3" that complained about the American flag's cameo in the superhero blockbuster, Times of London film critic James Christopher added "Sunday School morality" as a black mark against the action flick.
This incessant Tom and Jerry action makes it impossible to actually care. The Sunday School morality, and the inevitable flash of the American flag, are perfectly irritating. It’s extraordinary how often the third movie of a tent-pole franchise fails to deliver, in this case by trying to deliver too much. It’s hardly the kiss of death for Raimi, but with a budget as huge as his the pressure is surely on to pull in more than $400 million.
That's much harsher than critic Leo Lewis, who said it was "disappointing" that director Sam Raimi was unable "to end the romp without a fleeting shot of the American flag."

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Foreign Journalists and '300'
By Ken Shepherd March 11, 2007 - 17:10 ET
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," Sigmund Freud is purported to have once said, cautioning that not everything has a deeper, hidden meaning to it. Well, sometimes a blockbuster blood-soaked action flick is just that, a blood-soaked, special effects-laden action flick.
Just try telling that to cynical, left-wing European journalists.
According to Entertainment Weekly, everyone from gay interest groups to foreign journalists have engaged in armchair psychoanalysis of director Zack Snyder's screen adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel "300.":

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Monday, February 4, 2008

Values Voters

This is an interesting article. I wonder what God thinks of abortion and homosexual marriage gaining acceptance even among Born Again Christians? Comments?


http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=291

Born Again Voters No Longer Favor Republican Candidates
February 4, 2008
(Ventura, CA)One of the most reliable constituencies of the Republican Party in recent years has been born again Christians. A new national survey of likely voters conducted by The Barna Group, however, shows that the Republicans have lost the allegiance of many born again voters. The November election is truly up for grabs - and if the election were held today, most born again voters would select the Democratic Party nominee for president, whoever that might be.
Born Again Voting Pattern
In 1992, born again voters sided with Republican incumbent George H.W. Bush over Democratic challenger Bill Clinton by a 39% to 35% margin. In the 1996 election, born again voters again sided with the Republican candidate (Bob Dole) rather than the incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton by a 49% to 43% margin. In the 2000 election, the born again constituency gave Republican nominee George W. Bush a resounding 57% to 42% margin over Democratic challenger Al Gore. In 2004, the born again segment again sided with George W. Bush, giving him a lopsided 62% to 38% preference over Democratic hopeful John Kerry.
In the past couple of elections, the born again vote represented about half of the total number of votes cast in the U.S. Given the razor thin margin of victory achieved by President Bush in 2000, and the close tally in 2004, the born again vote was vital in both of the Bush victories.
Born Again Voters in the 2008 Election
Compared to recent presidential elections, the current leanings of the born again constituency have reversed. The new Barna study shows that if the election were to be held today, 40% of all born again adults who are likely to vote in November would choose the Democratic candidate and just 29% would choose the Republican candidate. The remaining 28% are currently not sure whom they would choose, preferring to make their selection on the basis of the candidate than strictly on the basis of his or her party affiliation.
George Barna, whose firm conducted the national survey, indicated that Republicans have an uphill climb with the born again voters. "Given the large percentage of undecided voters, it is possible that the Republican candidate might eventually win a majority of the born again vote," he explained. "However, it will not be easy to win them over. Several factors are operating against the Republican’s prospects in this election, related to both social issues and the personal integrity of several of the candidates."
If the election were held today, and all of the remaining candidates from both parties were on the ballot, the frontrunners among born again voters would be Hillary Clinton (favored by 20% of born again likely voters), Barack Obama (18%) and Mike Huckabee (12%). No other candidate reached double figures. Thirty percent of the born again likely voters said they were still undecided as to who they would choose.
Evangelicals Remain Strongly Conservative Republican
A subset of the born again population - evangelicals - has remained firmly committed to conservative ideals and, to a lesser extent, to the Republican Party. Across the nation, 43% of registered voters are aligned with the Democratic Party and 24% are registered as Republicans. Among evangelicals, though, 56% are registered Republicans and just 22% are Democrats.
Ideological leanings reflect a similar disparity. Among all voters, half say they are somewhere in the middle of the ideological spectrum on most issues, with 29% describing themselves as mostly conservative and just 14% claiming to be mostly liberal. Yet, among evangelicals, three out of every four (72%) describe themselves as mostly conservative and a mere 2% say they are mostly liberal. Just one out of four evangelicals (24%) says they are in the ideological middle ground.
If the election were held today, only 45% of evangelicals say they would support the Republican nominee for president, and 11% would support the Democratic representative. Most significant is that a whopping 40% of evangelicals are undecided. This is extraordinary, given that 62% of evangelicals voted for the Republican candidate in 1992, 67% did so in 1996, along with 67% in 2000 and 85% in 2004.
"Evangelicals are clearly sending a message to Republican leaders this time around," commented Barna, a former campaign manager whose firm has conducted surveys for candidates in two presidential elections. "There is tremendous frustration among evangelical voters, in particular. Overall, 90% of them say they are interested in the presidential election, making them among the voter segments most interested in the race. Further, 98% of them say they are concerned about the moral condition of the country and 82% say they uncomfortable with the way things are going in the world. Yet, given the stands of some of the leading Republican contenders, evangelicals are registering their discomfort with the choices they have at hand."
The Mormon Question
The Barna study also explored the opinions of people related to the Mormon faith of Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
Overall, the study revealed that more than one-quarter of the population (27%) contends that Mormons are not Christians. That sentiment was especially common among evangelical Christians (57%). Other groups that had above-average numbers who reject Mormons as Christians included all born again Christians (37%), political conservatives (32%), and people under the age of 40 (36%).
"While Mr. Romney has tried hard to diffuse concerns about his Mormon faith," noted Barna, "the reality is that large segments of the population do not accept the notion that Mormons are Christian. While that would not be a central factor in most people’s voting decision, it would be a sufficiently significant factor in the minds of millions of voters to affect the race if he proves to be the Republican nominee."
Values Voters
The media have made a big deal over the so-called "values voters" in this election. Toward that end, The Barna Group study evaluated a group of likely voters who described themselves as being "deeply spiritual" and "concerned about the moral condition of the United States." That segment represents 35% of the electorate.
This group proved to be somewhat more conservative in its political views (42% are "mostly conservative") and slightly more inclined than the national population to be registered as Republican (35% Republican, 44% Democrat). However, these "values voters" are only slightly more inclined to select a Republican candidate (27%) than is true nationally (24%). In fact, the "values voters" are currently less inclined to select the Republican nominee than are born again (29%) or evangelical voters (45%).
Thoughts on the Election Season
The November election will be a study in contrasts, according to Barna. "As in recent elections, a key to victory in November will be the faith vote. Unlike the past couple of presidential races, though, the born again and evangelical vote is up for grabs. In recent elections, the faith vote sided with the Republican candidate early in the race, allowing those candidates to focus on winning over swing votes. In this year’s contest, however, the faith vote cannot be taken for granted. Much can change between now and November, but Republican candidates have a tough road ahead of them this year."
Barna also indicated that the nature of voters driven by their faith has shifted in the past decade. "Today we have a greater proportion of faith-driven voters who are concerned about issues that are often thought of as 'liberal' social policy concerns, such as poverty and health care. Abortion and family protection remain significant issues to the faith constituency, but they are not the only issues that matter to the group - or even the driving issues. Relying upon traditional stereotypes of born again or evangelical voters will not serve candidates well this year."
About the Research
This report is based upon nationwide telephone surveys conducted by The Barna Group with random samples of adults, age 18 and older. These surveys were conducted in January 2008 among 1006 adults randomly selected from across the continental United States. The survey included 649 registered voters who were deemed to be likely to vote in this year’s general election on the basis of their past voting behavior and their inclinations to vote this year. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the sub-sample of likely voters is ±4.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Statistical weighting was used to calibrate the sample to known population percentages in relation to demographic variables.
"Born again Christians" are defined as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents are not asked to describe themselves as "born again."
"Evangelicals" meet the born again criteria (described above) plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "evangelical."
The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) conducts primary research, produces media resources pertaining to spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website www.barna.org.
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Here is a very interesting take on the swing of "values voters." It is interesting that Born Again voters are abandoning their previous concern for overturning Roe v. Wade and the Definition of Marriage Amendment. I wonder how God views these issues as becoming unimportant?





http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=291



Born Again Voters No Longer Favor Republican Candidates
February 4, 2008
(Ventura, CA)One of the most reliable constituencies of the Republican Party in recent years has been born again Christians. A new national survey of likely voters conducted by The Barna Group, however, shows that the Republicans have lost the allegiance of many born again voters. The November election is truly up for grabs - and if the election were held today, most born again voters would select the Democratic Party nominee for president, whoever that might be.
Born Again Voting Pattern
In 1992, born again voters sided with Republican incumbent George H.W. Bush over Democratic challenger Bill Clinton by a 39% to 35% margin. In the 1996 election, born again voters again sided with the Republican candidate (Bob Dole) rather than the incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton by a 49% to 43% margin. In the 2000 election, the born again constituency gave Republican nominee George W. Bush a resounding 57% to 42% margin over Democratic challenger Al Gore. In 2004, the born again segment again sided with George W. Bush, giving him a lopsided 62% to 38% preference over Democratic hopeful John Kerry.
In the past couple of elections, the born again vote represented about half of the total number of votes cast in the U.S. Given the razor thin margin of victory achieved by President Bush in 2000, and the close tally in 2004, the born again vote was vital in both of the Bush victories.
Born Again Voters in the 2008 Election
Compared to recent presidential elections, the current leanings of the born again constituency have reversed. The new Barna study shows that if the election were to be held today, 40% of all born again adults who are likely to vote in November would choose the Democratic candidate and just 29% would choose the Republican candidate. The remaining 28% are currently not sure whom they would choose, preferring to make their selection on the basis of the candidate than strictly on the basis of his or her party affiliation.
George Barna, whose firm conducted the national survey, indicated that Republicans have an uphill climb with the born again voters. "Given the large percentage of undecided voters, it is possible that the Republican candidate might eventually win a majority of the born again vote," he explained. "However, it will not be easy to win them over. Several factors are operating against the Republican’s prospects in this election, related to both social issues and the personal integrity of several of the candidates."
If the election were held today, and all of the remaining candidates from both parties were on the ballot, the frontrunners among born again voters would be Hillary Clinton (favored by 20% of born again likely voters), Barack Obama (18%) and Mike Huckabee (12%). No other candidate reached double figures. Thirty percent of the born again likely voters said they were still undecided as to who they would choose.
Evangelicals Remain Strongly Conservative Republican
A subset of the born again population - evangelicals - has remained firmly committed to conservative ideals and, to a lesser extent, to the Republican Party. Across the nation, 43% of registered voters are aligned with the Democratic Party and 24% are registered as Republicans. Among evangelicals, though, 56% are registered Republicans and just 22% are Democrats.
Ideological leanings reflect a similar disparity. Among all voters, half say they are somewhere in the middle of the ideological spectrum on most issues, with 29% describing themselves as mostly conservative and just 14% claiming to be mostly liberal. Yet, among evangelicals, three out of every four (72%) describe themselves as mostly conservative and a mere 2% say they are mostly liberal. Just one out of four evangelicals (24%) says they are in the ideological middle ground.
If the election were held today, only 45% of evangelicals say they would support the Republican nominee for president, and 11% would support the Democratic representative. Most significant is that a whopping 40% of evangelicals are undecided. This is extraordinary, given that 62% of evangelicals voted for the Republican candidate in 1992, 67% did so in 1996, along with 67% in 2000 and 85% in 2004.
"Evangelicals are clearly sending a message to Republican leaders this time around," commented Barna, a former campaign manager whose firm has conducted surveys for candidates in two presidential elections. "There is tremendous frustration among evangelical voters, in particular. Overall, 90% of them say they are interested in the presidential election, making them among the voter segments most interested in the race. Further, 98% of them say they are concerned about the moral condition of the country and 82% say they uncomfortable with the way things are going in the world. Yet, given the stands of some of the leading Republican contenders, evangelicals are registering their discomfort with the choices they have at hand."
The Mormon Question
The Barna study also explored the opinions of people related to the Mormon faith of Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
Overall, the study revealed that more than one-quarter of the population (27%) contends that Mormons are not Christians. That sentiment was especially common among evangelical Christians (57%). Other groups that had above-average numbers who reject Mormons as Christians included all born again Christians (37%), political conservatives (32%), and people under the age of 40 (36%).
"While Mr. Romney has tried hard to diffuse concerns about his Mormon faith," noted Barna, "the reality is that large segments of the population do not accept the notion that Mormons are Christian. While that would not be a central factor in most people’s voting decision, it would be a sufficiently significant factor in the minds of millions of voters to affect the race if he proves to be the Republican nominee."
Values Voters
The media have made a big deal over the so-called "values voters" in this election. Toward that end, The Barna Group study evaluated a group of likely voters who described themselves as being "deeply spiritual" and "concerned about the moral condition of the United States." That segment represents 35% of the electorate.
This group proved to be somewhat more conservative in its political views (42% are "mostly conservative") and slightly more inclined than the national population to be registered as Republican (35% Republican, 44% Democrat). However, these "values voters" are only slightly more inclined to select a Republican candidate (27%) than is true nationally (24%). In fact, the "values voters" are currently less inclined to select the Republican nominee than are born again (29%) or evangelical voters (45%).
Thoughts on the Election Season
The November election will be a study in contrasts, according to Barna. "As in recent elections, a key to victory in November will be the faith vote. Unlike the past couple of presidential races, though, the born again and evangelical vote is up for grabs. In recent elections, the faith vote sided with the Republican candidate early in the race, allowing those candidates to focus on winning over swing votes. In this year’s contest, however, the faith vote cannot be taken for granted. Much can change between now and November, but Republican candidates have a tough road ahead of them this year."
Barna also indicated that the nature of voters driven by their faith has shifted in the past decade. "Today we have a greater proportion of faith-driven voters who are concerned about issues that are often thought of as 'liberal' social policy concerns, such as poverty and health care. Abortion and family protection remain significant issues to the faith constituency, but they are not the only issues that matter to the group - or even the driving issues. Relying upon traditional stereotypes of born again or evangelical voters will not serve candidates well this year."
About the Research
This report is based upon nationwide telephone surveys conducted by The Barna Group with random samples of adults, age 18 and older. These surveys were conducted in January 2008 among 1006 adults randomly selected from across the continental United States. The survey included 649 registered voters who were deemed to be likely to vote in this year’s general election on the basis of their past voting behavior and their inclinations to vote this year. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the sub-sample of likely voters is ±4.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Statistical weighting was used to calibrate the sample to known population percentages in relation to demographic variables.
"Born again Christians" are defined as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents are not asked to describe themselves as "born again."
"Evangelicals" meet the born again criteria (described above) plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "evangelical."
The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) conducts primary research, produces media resources pertaining to spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website http://www.barna.org/.
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Kenya

Here is an update about Kenyan United Church of God members.


http://members.ucg.org/announcements/01032008EastAfrica.htm
Kenya Update—by John Elliott, senior pastor, East AfricaKenya's Daily Nation newspaper reported Jan. 24, "President Kibaki and the Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga have met for the first time since the disputed General Election, and shaken hands before a battery of journalists" ahead of face-to-face talks. This came late in the day after a mediation contingent, led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, met privately with both sides. Nothing has changed yet, with both men insisting that they won the presidential election. The real basis of Kenya's violence lies not in politics, nor in ethic hatred, but in the fragility of daily life and the despair of any hope. But Kenya is expected to calm and return to normalcy, thanks to the basic decency of ordinary Kenyans whose priorities are hard work, educating their children, fearing God and enjoying a few sodas. Kenyans know that only they themselves can prevent fresh chaos and that the entirety of political leaders are to blame.Interruption of supplies, fuel, food, transportation and a potential collapse of the tourism and agricultural industries are a foreboding reality. As Aidan Hartley wrote in the Jan. 11 New York Times, "On the political front, perhaps the best we can hope is that Big Men will reach a deal and the tribes will put away their machetes and rifles." Then the local residents can "return to their daily struggle to survive."Last Sabbath, our deacon Antonio (full names withheld for security reasons) visited the Elburgon congregation where Kalenjin tribal violence is being reported in the news. The Kalenjin tribe, best known for their marathon champions, have used the current tribal strains to demand a clearing of all tribes from their ancestral lands. Portions of their Rift Valley lands were taken by the British during colonial rule. Afterwards, the British sold the lands to others instead of returning them to the Kalenjins. Now they claim for themselves the huge Rift Valley region of Kenya from Tanzania to Ethiopia, insisting that all others leave.A few UCG members have come close to the violence in the Rift Valley and in Migori. Last night, Geoffrey, our local congregational leader in Elburgon, slept outside with his neighbors to try to keep bow-and-arrow-wielding Kalenjins from burning their houses and maize crops like they had done other houses nearby. In Migori, our deacon Moses does not feel safe anymore. He is a Kisii living in Luo lands where he serves as postmaster. This week some neighbors began stoning their house until others intervened on their behalf. Moses needs to relocate his family to their tribal home. Most Luo schools have not reopened yet. Reportedly the teachers and children have been threatened that they would be burned if they attended school. In one area citizens looted and burned the district hospital. In the city of Kisumu, citizens reportedly looted and burned nearly every business. However, all of our brethren of all the tribes and affected areas have been spared any loss.Many members continue to be affected by the disruption of services and supplies, particularly our Lou members in Western Kenya where our deacon Otieno says, "We are now in another world. Commodities prices have hiked up; transportation is too high; life has changed dramatically. But this is where we are now. We are just praying, since only God is able to solve the problem and bring our country to normal life we were used to." The interruption of transportation used to bring maize and other foods to that famine-parched region has pushed prices of available food out of reach for many. A Good Works project this month quickly supplied the immediate funds needed for needy brethren to purchase the increasingly expensive food they require. A question frequently arises from compassionate Church members, "What can we do to help?" While many feel an urgency to send in funds, we have already received sufficient funds for the current needs through the Good Works project that was quickly funded in January. Those funds are already being distributed according to needs, particularly in Western Kenya. Most other areas have food and necessities available at this time. The current funds will hopefully cover any extreme needs the brethren have there through March. We will continue to monitor the situation and will announce future needs should additional funds be required.At this time you can help most by remembering all of our brethren worldwide in your prayers. While our area is receiving a lot of attention, such situations are mirrored in countless other regions where daily life begs for the return of Jesus Christ's government. As Antonio told me today, "Thankfully, we are all safe and doing well. We are praying for peace in the country for the sake of being able to continue doing God's work."May God continue to bless us all as we serve Him,John Elliott
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Friday, February 1, 2008

Pastor's European Adventure

This is a Bumped and Updated post of my pastor's European Adventure.

Pastor's European Adventure
Here is the link to updates to my pastor's European Adventure.http://www.ucgtucson.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=10&Itemid=11
Posted by Brian Lee at 1:56 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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UCG Travel Blogs

Here are some interesting travel blogs to show the faith of the United Church of God around the world!


Blogs
Travel Blogs
Victor KubikUCG Council of Elders member and senior pastor for Eastern Europe.
December 9, 2007 - January 10, 2008 UCG Council member Victor Kubik and wife Beverly visit Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Norway. They visit 22 people, plan for 2009 Feast of Tabernacles in Sweden and much more.View this blog.
June 10-29, 2007 Victor Kubik, Senior Pastor for Scandinavia and Eastern Europe will be traveling through Norway, Sweden, Finland and Estonia from June 10 – 28th. On this trip he will meet with United Church of God members, coworkers and people with whom we've known over the years. Services will be held in Sweden and Estonia on the two Sabbaths while traveling. In Estonia we will mail out two issues of the Good News magazine along with Bible Study Courses in Russian and Estonian along with sundry other literature requested.View this blog.
January 10-24, 2007 Journey to Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Sweden. View this blog.
September 27 - October 20, 2006 Come and travel with Beverly and me to South Africa, Malawi and Zambia in September and October 2006. View this blog.
June 7-25, 2006 Four travellers on a journey through Hungary, Ukraine, Estonia, Finland and Sweden. View this blog.
Joel MeekerCoordinator for French speaking areas of the world.
January 20 - February 10, 2008 This pastoral trip will take me to Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Kenya, Burundi, the Seychelles, France and Belgium. There will be travel in both winter and summer, and on both sides of the equator. And I should meet and visit with lots of fascinating people. View this blog.
September 5 - October 7, 2007Come along as I visit three countries south of the equator: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Rwanda; and three just north: Cameroon, Togo and Cote d'Ivoire. View this blog.
January 16 - February 12, 2007Welcome! You can follow our progress on this pastoral trip on behalf of the United Church of God an International Association, to Mauritius, Madagascar, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, and France. View this blog.
June 6 - August 22, 2006 Welcome! This is the Meeker family travel blog about our summer 2006 around-the-world trip to visit members of the United Church of God. View this blog.
John ElliottSenior pastor for East Africa, just completed a fascinating trip to China, including Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. View this blog.
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News Blogs
World News & Prophecy Blog and Podcast Feed Darris McNeely, managing editor of World News & Prophecy, publishes Longitude—a daily online blog and audio podcast commentary—covering world events as they happen
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