From Slashdot, re: the new Star Wars movies:

No the problem is money. Lucas has way too much of it. Especially for the first film [New Hope] there was a severe budget crunch. They were limited in both money and time. I think this forces a film team to make decisions that in the long run are good for the film. If you have no boundaries, you are more likely to throw in little bits that really have no business being in the movie. If you are limited, you are forced to trim the fat and leave the good bits. With the prequels, Lucas had no limits. He effectively had infinite money and time in which to make these films. As a result he wasn’t forced to REALLY think about which parts worked to help the film and which didn’t.

And when looking at institutional Christianity in the West vs. underground church movements in Africa or Asia today or vs. the persecuted church throughout history (especially the first couple hundred years of the church), isn’t this true of us? Don’t we get fat and happy and sloppy and lazy when we have too much money and too much time? When we’re culturally dominant (or think we still are even though we’re not any more)?

Jesus is strong in our weakness and need, not in our strength and plenty.