Former evangelical pastor and widely known author Joshua Harris, whose 1997 bestseller I Kissed Dating Goodbye once shaped the landscape of Christian purity culture, is making headlines again after publicly sharing that his thoughts have recently turned back to Jesus - and that President Donald Trump played an unexpected role in prompting that reflection.
In a candid social media post, Harris revealed that his journey away from Christianity nearly a decade ago - widely covered and discussed within evangelical circles - had been fueled in part by disillusionment with the religious community's embrace of political power. "Eight years ago, when Donald Trump was first elected president, I gave him partial credit for the unraveling of my faith," Harris wrote, expressing how seeing the evangelical world rally around political leadership led him to question the motives and integrity of the church he once served.
But now, in an unforeseen turn of events, the same figure who contributed to Harris's disenchantment appears to have prompted deep spiritual reflection. According to the Church Leaders report, Harris acknowledged that recent national developments surrounding Trump and the evangelical movement have stirred his thoughts about Jesus once again - a shift he did not expect.
Harris, who publicly stepped away from Christianity in 2019 and has since described a period of spiritual deconstruction, has been transparent about his evolving worldview and theological wrestlings. While he no longer identifies strictly with traditional Christian labels, his latest remarks illustrate a renewed engagement with religious questions that many believers grapple with in a fractured cultural and political landscape.
His statement also comes amid widespread conversation about the role of faith in American public life - especially as millions of Americans navigate fractures between spiritual commitments and political allegiances. Harris's nuanced reflection resonates with those who see both the promise and peril of intertwining religious identities with national agendas.
For years, Harris's influence was deeply felt in evangelical culture as he led congregations and authored books that shaped a generation's understanding of relationships, purity, and Christian living. Over time, he publicly apologized for earlier teachings and eventually discontinued his work I Kissed Dating Goodbye in light of its unintended consequences.
The current development signifies a pivotal moment - not a definitive return to any specific faith tradition, but a surprisingly frank and introspective reckoning with spiritual belief, identity, and Jesus himself.
Harris is an American writer and former evangelical pastor best known for authoring I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Once a fixture of evangelical Christian culture, he stepped down from pastoral ministry in 2015, later disavowed his most famous work, and announced in 2019 that he no longer considered himself a Christian. His ongoing public reflections continue to spark conversation about faith, culture, and personal transformation within and beyond the church.
