The cultural center of modern society has shifted from the church to oneself. That’s where it went.
Some churches preach less about God’s glory than what He can do for you. In effect, He becomes a cosmic vending machine designed to cater to the most selfish in today’s society.
In days gone by, people would wear their finest clothes in order to go to church. So you don’t want to wear a suit? That’s fine; for guys in particular, “dressing up” is so painfully simple that I cannot imagine what leads my fellow men to walk into church in torn jeans and flip-flops except selfishness. How can “I” feel most comfortable?
The music in contemporary churches can reach such levels of meaninglessness as to turn a time of worship into a rock concert with no spiritual value whatsoever. Again, it’s all about making “me” feel good all the time.
As other FRiends have mentioned, cliques can be part of churches. This is simply more evidence of selfishness on a different scale - it’s all about “us,” and if you’re not one of them, you can go twiddle your thumbs in the corner.
So from my point of view, the church itself has contributed in a number of ways toward this trend. I feel blessed to have found a church family where that’s not the case.
Amen, Cato! On the dress up issue, it’s great for those who show honor in that way. For the gathering we have started attending in our new home town, we are delighted to see scraggly and flip-flops as they are often being worn by people who have almost nothing and are searching - for spiritual and basic human needs to be met. I absolutely believe you would welcome the same folks into your congregation.