Saving Seats in Church

James 2:1-9 ESV
(1)  My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
(2)  For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,
(3)  and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet,"
(4)  have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
(5)  Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
(6)  But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?
(7)  Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
(8)  If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.
(9)  But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

If you’ve ever been to a megachurch or large conference you have seen a rather unsettling phenomenon.  Large sections of seats near the front are roped off for VIP guests leaving seats in the balcony or nosebleed section for those unfortunate enough to be just ordinary Christians.  This practice has turned my stomach for as long as I’ve been a Christian.

I grew up in a Baptist church where most people left the front center pew open for the pastor and his family and the rest was open seating.  It wasn’t necessary to rope off two thirds of the church for the “elite” as we were all members of the church.  When I started attending charismatic churches in my twenties, I noticed everyone wanted to sit up front instead of the usual back row Baptists I had grown up with.

Then as celebrity speakers became the thing (rather than humble Spirit filled preachers) churches started marking off most of the front section of the church for staff members and their friends and of course that well known country music star that just happens to come to your church.  It got so bad at one church that I counted over 65% of the seats were reserved and general members could only sit on the back 4 rows of the church!

For those of you who practice such sin in your church – can you please explain to me why James chapter two doesn’t apply to you?