Joshua Harris (author)

Last updated

Joshua Harris
Joshua Harris (2018).jpg
BornJoshua Eugene Harris
Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
OccupationAuthor
Children3
Website
joshharris.com

Joshua Eugene Harris is an American former Evangelical Christian pastor. Harris' 1997 book I Kissed Dating Goodbye , in which he laid out his ideas concerning a Biblically based Christian approach to dating and relationships, helped shape purity culture for many Christian millennials. [1] Harris was lead pastor of Covenant Life Church, the founding church of Sovereign Grace Ministries, in Gaithersburg, Maryland from 2004 until 2015. In 2018, Harris disavowed I Kissed Dating Goodbye and discontinued its publication. The following year, Harris announced that he was separating from his wife, had "undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus" and had given up on his Christian faith. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Biography

Harris is the first of seven children born to Gregg and Sono Harris, pioneers in the Christian homeschooling movement. He is of Japanese descent on his mother's side. [5] Harris published New Attitude, a magazine aimed at fellow homeschoolers, from 1994 to 1997.[ citation needed ] He received no formal seminary or theological training until 2015, when he attended Regent College, Vancouver, B.C. [6] Harris married Shannon Hendrickson in 1998. They have had three children. [7] His brothers, twins Alex and Brett, authored The Rebelution (rebelution is a neologism defined by its creators as "a teenage rebellion against low expectations"). [8]

Harris's first book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, was published in 1997 and has sold 1.2 million copies worldwide. [2] Subsequent books by Harris include Boy Meets Girl (2000), in part describing his engagement to his eventual wife, Shannon; Not Even a Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust, released in 2003 and renamed Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is) in 2005; and Stop Dating the Church!: Fall in Love with the Family of God (2004). Harris' book Dug Down Deep (2010) shared his journey towards a love for theology and highlighted his passion for what he called "humble orthodoxy". [9]

In 1997, Harris moved from Oregon to Gaithersburg, Maryland to be a pastoral intern. [10] [11] There, "C. J. Mahaney, a charismatic Calvinist and founding pastor of megachurch Covenant Life Church, took Harris under his wing and groomed him to take over the church." [12] Harris was lead pastor of Covenant Life Church from 2004 until 2015. [13] [6] Harris assumed the role of senior pastor at Covenant Life Church at the age of 30. [10] In January 2015, he resigned from that role due to a desire to broaden his views and connect to other parts of Christianity. In an interview, Harris said the isolation of Covenant Life, and of a small cluster of churches of which it was a part, may have fed leadership mistakes, including the decision of pastors — himself among them — to handle a child sexual abuse case internally instead of going to police. [6]

Harris started Sovereign Grace Ministries' New Attitude Conference for Christian singles in 1999, with inspiration and guidance from Louie Giglio, founder of Passion Conferences. [12] From 1999 until 2011 he continued frequently to organize and lead this conference, although in 2008 it was renamed "Next." [14]

In 2016, Harris stated that he was reconsidering the content of I Kissed Dating Goodbye [15] and apologized to people who said that they had been hurt by its teachings. [16] [15] In 2018, Harris disavowed I Kissed Dating Goodbye and discontinued its publication. [17] His publishers agreed that I Kissed Dating Goodbye and two other follow-up books would not be reprinted once the current stock was depleted. [18] [19] Harris appeared in a documentary film called I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye, where he spoke to people who were critical of the book. [20] [21]

In July 2019, Harris announced that he and his wife were separating due to "significant changes [that] have taken place in both of us". [22] [23] The couple divorced that year. [24] Subsequently, Harris revealed that he no longer considered himself a Christian. His former wife also walked away from Christianity and began pursuing a career as a singer-songwriter under the name Shannon Bonne. [25] [26] [27] [24]

In addition to his previously discontinued books, with Harris's announcement of his loss of faith, the documentary film lost its distributor due to the negative reaction from the Christian market. [28]

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Piper (theologian)</span> American pastor and writer (born 1946)

John Stephen Piper is an American theologian and pastor in the Reformed Baptist tradition. He is also chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Piper taught biblical studies at Bethel University for six years (1974–1980), before serving as pastor for preaching and vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church (Converge) in Minneapolis for 33 years (1980–2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Laurie</span> American author and pastor (born 1952)

Greg Laurie is an American evangelical pastor, evangelist and author who serves as the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, based in Riverside, California. He also is the founder of Harvest Crusades. Laurie is also the subject of the 2023 film Jesus Revolution, which tells the story of how he converted to Christianity and got his start in ministry in the midst of the Jesus movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covenant Life Church</span> Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, US

Covenant Life Church is a non-denominational, evangelical megachurch in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Established in 1977, it spawned other churches and was the flagship church of Sovereign Grace Churches until it left the group in December 2012.

<i>I Kissed Dating Goodbye</i> 1997 book opposing contemporary dating

I Kissed Dating Goodbye is a 1997 book by Joshua Harris. The book focuses on Harris' disenchantment with the contemporary secular dating scene, and offers ideas for improvement, alternative dating/courting practices, and a view that singleness need not be a burden nor characterized by what Harris describes as "selfishness".

Gregg Eugene Harris is an American Christian businessman who was a major figure in the Christian homeschooling movement from 1981 through the mid-1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Jeremiah</span> American Christian author and pastor (born 1941)

David Jeremiah is an American evangelical Christian author, founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, a Southern Baptist megachurch in El Cajon, California, a suburb of San Diego.

Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control, published in 1984 and written by Elisabeth Elliot, is an evangelical Protestant book, part manifesto and part autobiography, on the subject of romantic relationships. The book recounts Elliot's friendship and romance with missionary Jim Elliot, beginning in the 1940s and ending with his death in 1956. Elliot uses anecdotes from her relationship with Jim to expound on her views concerning pure, Christian relationships and the practice of waiting on God for romantic timing and direction. The book emphasises female self-sacrifice: denying one's wishes in order to submit to God and one's (future) husband and maintain sexual purity. The late Ruth Bell Graham, wife of popular evangelist Billy Graham, wrote the preface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. J. Mahaney</span> American Christian minister

Charles Joseph Mahaney is an American Christian minister. He is the senior pastor at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville, and was formerly president of Sovereign Grace Ministries, now known as Sovereign Grace Churches. He was one of the founding pastors and leaders of Covenant Life Church, in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Stanley</span> American pastor

Charles Andrew Stanley, known as Andy Stanley, is an American who is the founder and senior pastor of North Point Ministries, a nondenominational evangelical Christian church with several campuses across the north metro Atlanta areas. He is the founder and senior pastor of North Point Community Church.

Diary of a Teenage Girl is a series of Christian young adult novels written by Melody Carlson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tullian Tchividjian</span> American pastor and author

William Graham Tullian Tchividjian is a pastor and author of more than a half dozen books about Christianity and current issues, including One Way Love and It is Finished. He is a grandson of Christian evangelist Billy Graham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Furtick</span> American pastor and musician

Larry Stevens Furtick Jr., known professionally as Steven Furtick, is an American evangelical Christian pastor, author, and composer of Elevation Worship. He is the founder and general overseer of Elevation Church, based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Oyedepo</span> Nigerian clergyman (born 1954)

David Olaniyi Oyedepo is a Nigerian preacher, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, and Presiding Bishop of the Faith Tabernacle in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. The church is also known as Winners' Chapel International.

<i>When God Writes Your Love Story</i> 1999 book

When God Writes Your Love Story: The Ultimate Approach to Guy/Girl Relationships is a 1999 book by Eric and Leslie Ludy, an American married couple. After becoming a bestseller on the Christian book market, the book was republished in 2004 and then revised and expanded in 2009. It tells the story of the authors' first meeting, courtship, and marriage. The authors advise single people not to be physically or emotionally intimate with others, but to wait for the spouse that God has planned for them. The first edition was packaged with a CD single by the Ludys: "Faithfully", a song they had written specifically to accompany the book.

<i>Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship</i>

Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship is a 2000 book by Joshua Harris. It is the sequel to I Kissed Dating Goodbye. In Boy Meets Girl, Harris describes his personal experiences courting the woman he eventually married. The book argues that psychological pain and trauma can result from entering an intimate relationship before one is ready, either emotionally or financially, to commit to being the other person's life partner. Harris has written several other books, including I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Sex Is Not the Problem , and Stop Dating the Church.

Dr. Donald Fred Raunikar was an American psychoanalyst, Christian writer, and advocate of Biblical courtship from Houston, Texas.

Chad Veach is an American evangelical pastor and the founder of Zoe Church, a youth-oriented Christian congregation that is based in Los Angeles, California. Veach has been the subject of significant mainstream press coverage, which often focuses on Veach’s taste in streetwear and sneakers and his links to celebrities like actor Chris Pratt, the Kardashians and singer Justin Bieber, which have been chronicled on Veach’s Instagram account.

Exvangelical is a social movement of people who have left evangelicalism, especially white evangelical churches in the United States, for atheism, agnosticism, progressive Christianity, or any other religious belief, or lack thereof. People in the movement are called "exvangelicals" or "exvies". The term prodigals is sometimes used for exvangelicals by people who remain evangelical.

Faith deconstruction, also known as deconstructing faith, evangelical deconstruction, the deconstruction movement, or simply deconstruction, is a phenomenon within American evangelicalism in which Christians or other religious people rethink their faith and jettison previously held beliefs, sometimes to the point of no longer identifying as Christians or religious. It is closely related to the exvangelical movement.

NakedPastor is the brand name of author and cartoonist David Hayward. Hayward started a blog called nakedpastor in 2006 and initiated his public analysis of religion, religious communities, and spirituality through his writings, art, and cartoons. Hayward was one of the first people to start using the word deconstruction in relation to faith. His work includes topics such as spiritual abuse, faith deconstruction, exvangelicals, Women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.

References

  1. Parke, Caleb (July 22, 2019). "Christian author of 'I Kissed Dating Goodbye' separating from wife". Fox News.
  2. 1 2 Bote, Joshua. "He wrote the Christian case against dating. Now he's splitting from his wife and faith". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  3. "Joshua Harris on Instagram: "My heart is full of gratitude. I wish you could see all the messages people sent me after the announcement of my divorce. They are…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  4. "Joshua Harris on Instagram: "We're writing to share the news that we are separating and will continue our life together as friends. In recent years, some significant…"". Instagram. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  5. "Trip to Japan". Archived from the original on October 7, 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 Boorstein, Michelle (January 30, 2015). "Pastor Joshua Harris, an evangelical outlier, heads to mainstream seminary". Washington Post.
  7. Laviola, Erin (July 29, 2019). "Joshua Harris: Former Pastor Says He's No Longer a Christian".
  8. Eekhoff Zylstra, Sarah (November 5, 2014). "Alex and Brett Harris Are Doing Hard Things". TGC. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  9. Sherwood, J.J. (March 31, 2010). "Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters". TGC. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Wishall, Garrett (August 17, 2009). "'It's a role of service:' Joshua Harris on being senior pastor of Covenant Life Church". Towers. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  11. "Joshua Harris Author Profile". www.newreleasetoday.com. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Hansen, Collin (September 22, 2006). "Young, Restless, Reformed Calvinism is making a comeback—and shaking up the church". Christianity Today . Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  13. Lee, Morgan (February 5, 2015). "Why Joshua Harris Kissed His Megachurch Goodbye". Christianity Today . Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  14. Harris, Josh (January 2012). "New Attitude, Na, Next 1999-2012". JoshHarris.com. Josh Harris. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  15. 1 2 Graham, Ruth (August 23, 2016). "Hello Goodbye: The author of a best-selling abstinence manifesto is reconsidering the lessons he taught to millions". Slate . Retrieved December 11, 2017. "It's like, well, crap, is the biggest thing I've done in my life this really huge mistake?"... He has come to question many assumptions that undergirded his book: the urge of parents and church leaders to strictly control young people; the purity movement's implication that sexual mistakes are somehow irrevocable; and his book's "formulaic approach to relationships that somehow guarantees a happy outcome."
  16. Martin, Rachel (July 10, 2016). "Former Evangelical Pastor Rethinks His Approach To Courtship". NPR.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved December 11, 2017. ...I feel like I'm on the front end of a process to help people in some way if I can apologize where needed and re-evaluate where needed.... when we try to overly control our own lives or overly control other people's lives, I think we end up harming people. And I'mI think that that's part of the problem with my book.
  17. "Joshua Harris Says 'I Kissed Dating Goodbye' Will Be Discontinued, Apologizes for 'Flaws'". www.christianpost.com. October 23, 2018.
  18. Wittmer, Carrie (December 17, 2018). "The Christian author who pushed for people to skip dating, including kissing and sex, before marriage has changed his mind and asked his publisher to stop printing his book". INSIDER. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  19. Aviles, Gwen (July 29, 2019). "Author of bestselling Christian book apologizes to LGBTQ community". NBC NEWS. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  20. MacCammon, Sarah (December 17, 2018). "Evangelical writer kisses an old idea goodbye". NPR.
  21. MarieAnn Klett, Leah (October 23, 2018). "Joshua Harris says 'I Kissed Dating Goodbye' will be discontinued, apologizes for 'flaws'". The Christian Post.
  22. "Evangelical Writer Who Influenced Purity Culture Announces Separation From Wife". NPR.org.
  23. Harris, Joshua. "Joshua Harris Instagram". Instagram . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  24. 1 2 Rossi |, Holly Lebowitz. "A Memoir's Sharp Look at Christian Marriage". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  25. Parke, Caleb (July 29, 2019). "Well-known Christian author, purity advocate, renounces his faith: 'I hope you can forgive me'". Fox News.
  26. Sherwood, Harriet (July 29, 2019). "Author of Christian relationship guide says he has lost his faith". The Guardian . Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  27. Poletti, Jonathan (August 15, 2019). "Joshua Harris's wife finds her voice". Medium. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  28. Gions-Phillips, Tré (August 29, 2019). "Film distributor drops Joshua Harris' documentary after being blindsided by author saying he's no longer Christian". Faithwire. Retrieved August 29, 2019.