Who could have ever imagined the Philadelphia Church of God churning out an article on what it truly means to be happy? Oh, the irony is thicker than the compound's security gates. This is the same outfit that's been credibly accused of systematically destroying members' lives, shattering marriages, ripping apart families, and even contributing to suicides—all in the name of "God's government" on earth.
When you've got "men" like Fred Dattalo, Wayne Turgeon, and Cal Culpepper poking their holier-than-thou noses into every corner of people's personal lives—dictating who can talk to whom, who gets shunned, who loses their spouse and kids—it's a miracle if the average PCG member manages even a fleeting smile, let alone genuine happiness. Stay in long enough, and "joy" becomes code for "keep your head down and obey, or else."
But that doesn't stop Lil' Stevie from waxing eloquent on the subject. His reasoning is about as airtight as Bob Thiel's claim to being doubly blessed and a legitimate prophet, or Samuel Kitchen's insistence that he's leading the one true restored Worldwide Church of God. Spoiler: happiness and cult activities rarely share the same zip code.
Lil' Stevie takes PCG's already absurd stance and cranks it to eleven. Happiness, he insists, can only be achieved if you're relentlessly chasing perfection. God said "be ye therefore perfect" (Matthew 5:48), so clearly, true bliss awaits those grinding toward that goal. And what glorious prize sits at the end of this exhausting road? Godhood, baby! As God is now, so shall you be—coequal in every attribute, power, and eternal glow. The One who has always existed will apparently humble Himself to share the divine throne with you, a former mortal who once forgot to tithe on that second job. How magnanimous.
He even quotes law professor Jeffrey Rosen on how the Founders saw the "pursuit of happiness" as a virtuous quest for character, not mere pleasure-seeking, then slaps a biblical sticker on it: "That is a biblical principle." Sure, if by "biblical" you mean twisting Greek teleios (meaning mature or complete in context) into a ticket to literal deification. Because nothing screams "joyful abundant life" like a lifelong performance review where falling short means you're consigning yourself to unhappiness—and probably a shunning phone call from HQ.
Further down, he channels his father with gems like: if you're pursuing "God's way," you'll generally be happy, your face will shine with joy (predicting your future "star quality" in the Kingdom, apparently), and you'll never be happy any other way.
“Today we think of happiness as the pursuit of pleasure,” writes law professor Jeffrey Rosen. “But classical and Enlightenment thinkers defined happiness as the pursuit of virtue—as being good, rather than feeling good. For this reason, the founders believed that the quest for happiness is a daily practice, requiring mental and spiritual self-discipline, as well as mindfulness and rigorous time management. At its core, the founders viewed the pursuit of happiness as a lifelong quest for character improvement …” (The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America; emphasis added throughout).
That is a biblical principle. “[Become] ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). The Greek word for perfect describes something that has reached its end or purpose.
You are on a lifelong quest for perfection. Your mission is to achieve perfect godly character.
This is why you were created: to become a perfect God being!
Many other verses declare this same message—for example, Matthew 19:21; Hebrews 6:1; 10:14; 1 John 2:5. When you stop seeking this goal, you resign yourself to unhappiness.
Rosen wrote that according to the classical definition, “happiness is always something to be pursued rather than obtained—a quest rather than a destination.”
The Christian life is a diligent quest for happiness. It is a way of life that produces happiness.
If you are actively pursuing God’s way, you generally will be a happy person. In fact, as my father writes in John’s Gospel—the Love of God, God’s people should shine with happiness: “I believe that, in a general way, we may be able to determine how much star quality and brightness we will have in the future by how much our face shines today in happiness and joy.”
There is a way to happiness. It is not complicated—the Bible clearly reveals the path. “Conducting your life God’s way makes you happy!” my father continues. “And you’ll never be happy any other way.”
Ask Aaron Eagle, the former PCG minister who dared to see through the filth. His reward? Marriage obliterated, wife and children isolated on the cult compound in church housing, campus barred to him. Yep, that's the shining example of happiness PCG delivers—real "give way" stuff right there.
Lil'Stevie ends with this:
God wants us to “bear much fruit” (John 15:8). He doesn’t want any one of us to be unfruitful or unhappy.
Achieving that end requires “all diligence.” The pursuit of godly happiness means applying the spiritual knowledge God gives us. You cannot simply agree with the truth and enjoy its benefits.
My father writes in The Last Hour, “If you lack that joy, stay on your knees until you get it! … Full joy comes from fellowshipping with the Father and the Son.”
Pursue happiness. Seek it with all of your being. That quest is your ultimate purpose. Dedicating yourself to this quest will bring you happiness in this life and secure your ultimate destiny of bringing happiness to the entire world.
Lil' Stevie wraps it up with calls to "bear much fruit," apply "all diligence," stay on your knees until joy arrives, and pursue this quest with everything you've got—because it secures happiness now and your destiny of bringing joy to the whole world later. Meanwhile, the real fruit seems to be broken people, fear, control, and a revolving door of exits.
He and PCG hammer home: "You will never be happy if you are not living God’s way," contrasting Satan's selfish "get" way with their noble "give" way. Scripture does connect joy to obedience and relationship with God (Psalm 119, John 15:10-11, Galatians 5:22-23), but the New Testament frames it as a fruit of the Spirit through faith in Christ, grace, and the gospel—not a merit badge earned by obsessive law-keeping or moral boot camp.
Armstrongism loves elevating Old Covenant rules (Sabbath, clean meats, etc.) as essential for happiness and salvation, but the NT proclaims freedom from the law's curse through Christ (Romans 6–8, Galatians 3–5, Colossians 2:16-17). Real joy roots in justification by faith, not grinding toward unattainable perfection in works. This "perfect submission" and endless daily battle? It risks morphing Christianity into a soul-crushing works-based treadmill that downplays grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Strict legalism and authoritarian control don't produce happiness—they produce exhaustion, guilt, and escape attempts.
Sure, pursuing moral virtue and obedience can align with biblical joy in healthy contexts, but PCG's foundation—especially the wild promise of becoming literal God beings (contra strict monotheism in Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 43–45) and the heavy dependence on Armstrong's "restored truths"—veers sharply from Scripture's clear teaching on God's unique nature, human limits, and salvation by grace through faith alone.
True happiness? For a Philadelphia Church of God member, it seems attainable the moment they finally leave the cult, break the shackles of fear-based law-keeping, and step into actual freedom. Who knew escaping the "one true church" could be the real path to joy?
1 comment:
What is legalism? Keeping some kind of law or rules for life? Gerald Flurry seems to give keeping the law a bad name.
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