For those who were active in the Church during the 1990s either as a youth or involved in youth ministry in some capacity, memories of what is today called the “purity culture” are likely to comprise a fair amount of what we remember. While this movement suffered from several abuses, not the least of which was a legalistic bent, the fundamental principles – that God’s design for physical intimacy is to be enjoyed only within the boundaries of biblical marriage – were and are solid. One of the biggest names during that time was Joshua Harris, a young man who seemed to embody the entirety of the movement. Harris was the author of a book that seemed to be on the bookshelf of many youth and youth leaders during this time: I Kissed Dating Goodbye. The book’s premise was that the contemporary method young people used to find a spouse – namely, dating – was less than biblical and threatened to do great harm to young people as they had their hearts broken through a string of poorly chosen potential mates. Harris suggested a return to courtship, and several Christian young ladies (particularly those in Bible colleges) decided to eschew dating in favor of being courted. Many Christian young men had no idea what to do.
Over the years, Harris continued to write books and was called to pastor a megachurch in Gaithersburg, Maryland at the age of 30 (at that point, he had no formal training but had been mentored by C. J. Mahaney, the previous pastor). As the years went on, several changes in Harris became apparent. He resigned from the church in 2015, citing his desire to broaden his views. In 2016, he disavowed his previous writings regarding courtship and, along with the publisher, decided to cease publication of those works. Then, just last month (July 2019), he announced that he and his wife were divorcing and, a couple of weeks later, that he was no longer a Christian.
Many in the evangelical world were surprised by the last announcement, but sadly, we’ve witnessed this trajectory several times in recent years. Harris grew up in an evangelical home, with parents who were pioneers of the homeschool movement and younger brothers who became published authors and ministry leaders in their own right. When these types of departures from the faith occur, there is a propensity to try and find a specific triggering cause. Some have pointed to Harris’s Reformed theology as the culprit, while others identified his lack of theological training as being responsible for this seeming apostasy. The reality is that there is no single, underlying cause. If this is a true departure from the faith (and not just a moment of backsliding or wandering from the true path), then we must understand it in light of 1 Jn. 2:19 – that is, there had never been a true conversion in the first place. After all, our salvation, from beginning to end, is accomplished solely and completely by Jesus Christ, and He will not lose a single sheep that has been given to Him by the Father (cf. Jn. 6:37-40).
One of the great dangers of the celebrity pastor culture that has characterized the American church in particular is the devastation that occurs in the lives of believers when one of these men have a moral failing or walk away from the faith altogether. Harris is just the most recent example; those who have preceded him include (in no particular order) James MacDonald, Mark Driscoll, Rob Bell, Frank Page, Bill Gothard, Jim Bakker, Bob Coy, and many, many more. We would do well to remember the old adage, “The best of men are men at best.” This is not to say that we ought not to have role models (that would be contrary to 1 Cor. 11:1), but we must take care not to make them idols. Harris, along with the numerous other examples of seemingly faithful men who have fallen, serve as sober reminders that we all must take great care that we finish our races well (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5, 2 Pet. 1:10-11, 2 Tim. 4:7). Rather than putting our faith in men – even seemingly faithful ministers of the Gospel – let us keep our focus on the Author and Finisher of our faith. Just something to think about…
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