Using a 400mm SoftPot membrane potentiometer with a pull up/down resistor

What are the ratings on your sensor? What voltage is it rated for? Putting a resistor in series is going to lower the range of voltages that you can detect when using this sensor.

The Arduino is a high impedence load so a resistor on the output shouldn't be necesary. Typically for Current limit you would put a esistor between the sensor and + supply.