Joshua Harris announced his divorce and apologizes to the LGBT+ community

Author who has released a bestselling book to guide Christians with their relationships has revealed that his marriage is over and he has lost his faith. Joshua Harris released his book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, in 1997 which served as a sort of Christian guide to relationships. The book was a smash hit selling over 1.2 million copies. Joshua Harris has also made an apology to the LGBT+ community for his contribution to a culture which promotes bigotry and exclusion.

Harris used his book to tell young Christians, not to date and instead practice courtship under the watchful eyes of their parents. His book also encourages young Christians to observe sexual abstinence. The former pastor of a U.S. megachurch wrote that kissing, holding hands and spending time alone together before marriage shouldn’t be practiced by young couples. He even wrote that dating is spiritually unhealthy and serves as a “training ground for divorce.”

Harris’s book was circulated within Christian youth groups. Harris had written the book when he was 21. The book served as a promotion for preserving virginity until marriage and as a “purity culture” guide.

In his later years, Harris was a senior pastor at the Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The church was accused of not reporting claims of child sexual abuse to the police. In 2015, Harris left the church.

Harris released a statement last year which said that he didn’t agree with the central idea of his book anymore. He now believes that dating is healthy for the relational development of a person and is an invaluable tool for learning about the qualities that matter in a partner.

Harris has apologized for influencing and misdirecting people who read his book. Earlier this month, he announcement on Instagram that he and his wife were separating after being married for 21 years. Another update on Instagram revealed that he had undergone a significant shift in faith when it comes to Jesus.

Harris has renounced a lot of his past opinions, and his bestselling book is no longer in print because of its “flaws.”

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