Do Churches seem more like social clubs these days instead of religious institutions?

Answer 1

Who would want to go to a religious institution? Church is a school of learning of our past and securing our future. After school we have fun.

Answer 2

definitely, even my own

I say that because I have an issue that on outside they proclaim universal acceptance, social justice, diversity and all that, one look at the majority of the members who stay and it's a certain demographic, a certiain income range and they like it, and usually gently push others away to 'real' churches that actually are for the public and provide ministry to people in need

the one thing is, according to 'by laws' of individual church, they do not account to a higher authority, the church is, like the people of the US, is supposed to be the governing authority, and if that is what they wish to do, they are free to do so

it was just a let down to think they had social outreach programs or social justice groups, and in truth it is near non existent

the only 'religious institution' is the adherance to the Cambridge Platform of the 1600's

while other churches of the same association or affiliation are more of a religious institution, the one I am attending is considered a radical rebel branch who choose not to go with the norms and usual liturgy which is creative and free but also unstructured and can become dogmatic

my favorite other example of the clubs posing as a church are the ones around military bases that get a large influx of cash which is from US Tax Dollars paying people thier salary and they have a health/wealth aspect to the megachurch programs...if you are 'right' with god, you will be healthy and wealthy, and if not, then you obviously are a sinner and until then we have programs for you to get you on board and get right with god, recruit you and get you into a nationalistic state of mind claiming god/country/patriotism/corporate blessing/state in same breath as Divine Plan

Answer 3

I know af a few that are just that. I believe the term they use is "Seeker Friendly". I am really amazed by this. There is a new breed of person in the USA, they call themselves Conservative Christians. Some of these people care little about our Lord Jesus and seem to be interested in being the all American citizen. There is nothing wrong with that but they use the label "Christian". Christian means little Christ. We are being conformed to the image of Jesus. If you were to ask one of these people if they were becoming Jesus they would respond.. "HUH? what are you talking about? I'm not a fundie!". So now these political social Christians need a church to complete the image. No hell fire and brimstone please. That's way to convicting. Just be nice and ask GOD to make my life easy and bless me with lots of money and things like it says in the Bible right?
Anything in the name of Jesus is good but I sure do wish people would read the Bible and do what is suggested. They are missing out on true prosperity. So to answer your Question. YES YES a thousand times YES.

Answer 4

Because there are less and less social clubs that Christians can feel comfortable being Christian in. Many find themselve uncomfortable mixing with non-christians. The church as the center of a Christian community has moved to fill the needs of it's congregation

Answer 5

Yes! Yes! and Thank you for the question. This has been a burr under my saddle for many years.
The trends of Christianity today pose dangers more subtle than the liberalism that threatened the church in the first half of the century. Instead of attacking orthodoxy head on, the pop church gives lip service to the truth while quietly undermining the foundations of doctrine. Instead of exalting God it denigrates the things that are precious to Him.

There is in vogue today a tendency to make the basis of faith something other than God's Word. Experience, emotion, fashion, and popular opinion are often more authoritative than the Bible in determining what many Christians believe.
The charismatic movement, of course, has led the way in this failure by claiming private, individual revelation is a valid and normal way God manifests Himself. Why should we carefully study the Bible when we can get personal messages and fresh prophecy from some charismatic experience?

But non-charismatics have not been exempt from teachings that undermine biblical authority. Secular psychology, for instance, has virtually superseded God's Word at the core of curriculum in some of our conservative seminaries. Christian counseling reflects this drift, frequently offering no more than experimental and unscriptural self-help therapy instead of solid answers from the Bible.
Christian missionary work is often riddled with pragmatism and compromise, because too many in missions have evidently concluded that what gets results is more important than what God says.
That's true among local churches as well. It has become quite fashionable to forego the proclamation and teaching of God's Word in worship services. Instead, churches serve up a smorgasbord of drama, music, and other forms of entertainment.
All of this dethrones Scripture from its rightful place as the basis for our faith.

The pop church is not a single movement or visible organization. Tendencies toward popular religion can be found even in some of the finest churches and Christian organizations in evangelicalism.

pop Christianity has a tendency to move the focus of faith away from God's Son. You've seen that repeatedly if you watch much religious television. Center stage belongs to the celebrity evangelist, the fund-raising campaign, or the miracles and healings--anything but the Lord Jesus.

Furthermore, the faith those programs ordinarily exemplify is surrealistic. The people we see are nearly always bubbly, giggly, and giddy. Instead of biblical faith, which rejoices in the midst of trials, what we usually see is a thin, and fragile emotionalism that talks of deliverance but seems merely to be a form of escapism.

The health-wealth-and-prosperity gospel advocated by so many televangelists is the ultimate example of this kind of fantasy-faith. Appealing unabashedly to the flesh, this false gospel corrupts all the promises of Scripture and encourages greed. It makes material blessing, not Jesus Christ, the object of the Christian's desires.

Easy-believism handles the message differently, but the effect is the same. Here is the perfect message for pop Christianity. It is the promise of forgiveness minus the gospel's hard demands. It has done much to popularize "believing" but little to provoke sincere faith.

We must be forgiving, but forgiveness is not the end and the aim of the Christian faith; holiness unto the Lord is (2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 1:4; 5:25-27).

By downplaying the importance of holy living--both by precept and by example--the pop church has undermined the biblical doctrine of conversion. A celebrity show-business personality professes faith in Christ but continues in an ungodly lifestyle. No one thinks anything of it--or worse, the pop church continues to herald that person as an example of a true believer.

That eats at the heart of the Christian faith. Think about it: What could Satan do to try to destroy the church that would be more effective than undermining God's Word, shifting the focus off Christ, and minimizing holy living? All those things are happening slowly, steadily within the church right now. Tragically, most Christians seem oblivious to the problems, satisfied with a Christianity that is fashionable and highly visible.

The true church must not ignore these threats. If we fight to keep the church pure, we can conquer external attacks easily. But if we let error into the church, we will not be able to regain the purity without waging civil war.

Answer 6

Oh yes! Isn't it nice. I'm always hoping to meet a rich single guy there. My only complaint is that we need to be a little more restrictive on the dress code and keep the odd ones and the shabbily dressed ones out of the church service. They should stay home and watch a televangelist on TV.

Answer 7

dude since the down of time churches have always been a "social institution"

Answer 8

There is a bit of social meeting before and after the service. I see no harm in that, we are suppose to mingle with other Christians and other non Christians that you meet through out the day.

Answer 9

Yes it does and it seem like church people more rude and cruel than people out in the world. You suppose to go church to get a word about God and to praise him from wonderful things he has done for you.

Answer 10

Churches have always been social clubs, why people would look down on you if you had no church.

Churches take away and distract your true thoughts and that is to be free, free of all labor to mind kind, free of all that we have today