“Josh Harris is not the first of his generation to walk away from Christianity — and he won’t be the last. In the last few years we’ve watched as celebrity pastors and Christian leaders have denied central teachings of scripture (Rachel Held Evans, Rob Bell); been removed from the pastorate as the result of revelations of immorality (Bill Hybels, Art Azurdia, Tullian Tchividjian); flirted with unbiblical teachings (Mark Driscoll, Beth Moore); and now, in the very sad case of Josh Harris, apostatized — openly denying Christ in the process.”
(Paula Bolyard – PJ Media) The internet has been buzzing this week upon hearing the news that Joshua Harris — a former pastor and author of the bestselling book I Kissed Dating Goodbye — has not only decided to divorce his wife of 20-plus years, but has also kissed Christianity goodbye, announcing on Instagram that he is no longer a Christian….
“The popular phrase for this is ‘deconstruction,’ the biblical phrase is ‘falling away,'” Harris confessed. “By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian. Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I’m not there now.”
Harris went on to “specifically” apologize to the LGBTQ+ community. “I want to say that I am sorry for the views that I taught in my books and as a pastor regarding sexuality,” he explained. “I regret standing against marriage equality, for not affirming you and your place in the church, and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry. I hope you can forgive me.”