Joshua Harris

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Joshua Harris in 2003

Joshua Eugene Harris (b. December 30, 1974 in Dayton, Ohio) is an American pastor and writer famous for I Kissed Dating Goodbye, a book that advocates what he believes is a biblical approach to dating and relationships. He is currently senior pastor of Covenant Life Church, the founding church of Sovereign Grace Ministries, in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He is the first of seven children born to Gregg and Sono Harris, pioneers in the Christian homeschooling movement.

As a teenager, Harris published New Attitude, a magazine aimed at fellow home-schoolers, from 1994 to 1997. He published his first book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, in 1997. It has sold nearly one million copies worldwide.^[1] Subsequent publications include Boy Meets Girl, in part describing his engagement to his wife, Shannon, released in 2000, Not Even a Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust in 2003 (renamed Sex Isn't the Problem, Lust Is in 2005), and Stop Dating the Church! : Fall in Love with the Family of God released in 2004.

Harris started and led Sovereign Grace Ministries' New Attitude Conference for Christian singles from 1999 until 2004. While there was no conference in 2005, New Attitude was revived in 2006 under the leadership of Covenant Life Church singles pastor, Eric Simmons. The conference takes place over Memorial Day weekend, at the Louisville, Kentucky Convention Center. The primary focus of New Attitude is to equip young Christians with what they believe is the biblical truth of the gospel, while stressing the importance of the local church in the lives of all Christians. They have coined the term Humble Orthodoxy to represent these principles. New Attitude's website describes "Humble Orthodoxy" as " a commitment to believing, living, and representing the truth with humility. We believe that God's truth in Scripture should not be redefined or reinvented to suit our own preferences or culture. Our role is not to change truth but to let truth change us."

Harris' brothers, twins Alex and Brett, are the hosts of the popular blog The Rebelution [2], defined as "a teenage rebellion against the low expectations of an ungodly culture."

Harris resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland with his wife Shannon and their three children.

[edit] Authored books

I Kissed Dating Goodbye (Updated Version). Multnomah, 2003. ISBN 1-59052-135-8
Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello To Courtship. Multnomah, 2000. ISBN 1-57673-709-8
Not Even a Hint. Multnomah, 2003. ISBN 1-59052-147-1 (re-published as Sex Isn't the Problem, Lust Is in 2005. ISBN 1-59052-519-1)
Stop Dating the Church! Multnomah, 2004. ISBN 1-59052-365-2

[edit] External links

"The Way of a Man With a Maid" This is an online book critiquing the courtship movement. See Appendix A, titled 'Joshua Harris and the Courtship Movement.'