Joshua Harris is an American author, former pastor, and speaker, best known for his influential book I Kissed Dating Goodbye (1997), which promoted courtship over traditional dating and became a defining text within evangelical purity culture. Born on December 30, 1974, he was raised in a Christian homeschooling environment and became involved in ministry at a young age. In 2004, Harris became lead pastor of Covenant Life Church in Maryland, a position he held until stepping down in 2015 to pursue formal theological education. Over time, he began to re-evaluate the impact of his teachings, especially regarding relationships and sexuality. In 2018, Harris publicly apologized for the harm caused by I Kissed Dating Goodbye and later disavowed the book, requesting that it no longer be published. In 2019, he announced that he no longer considered himself a Christian and separated from his wife. His journey has since sparked widespread conversations about faith, personal growth, and the re-examination of evangelical teachings.