Joshua Harris Posts New Statement Apologizing for "Harm" He Caused by "Purity Culture"

Joshua Harris—a name that once graced bestseller lists and pulpits—has long been a illustration of peril for those wary of celebrity Christianity. Even before his public renunciation of the faith, many of us saw the writing on the wall. The Christian world has suffered no shortage of leaders who, intoxicated by fame and the spotlight, lose sight of the God they profess to serve.

Harris, one of the controversial figureheads of “purity culture” and the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, is no exception, though his descent has been particularly egregious and destructive.

In 2019, Harris, a lead pastor at Covenant Life Church, part of the Sovereign Grace Ministries Network, publicly announced that he was not only leaving his wife but also abandoning Christianity altogether. The news surprised the evangelical world, though to those who’d been paying attention, it was merely the next step in a long and predictable trajectory.

Shortly after his announcement, Harris was photographed participating in an LGBTQ+ pride parade eating “gay donuts” and wearing his newfound apostasy like a badge of honor. The man who once styled himself as a leader in purity culture had now become an evangelist for the very sexual deviancy that Scripture unequivocally condemns.

Since that disastrous announcement, Harris has not only distanced himself from biblical Christianity but has actively worked to undermine it. Whether by promoting “deconstruction” narratives or aligning himself with movements that dismantle Christian sexual ethics, his every move appears to be designed to erase the convictions he once claimed to hold. Far from just drifting into secularism, Harris has become a torchbearer for the cultural rebellion against God’s design for humanity.