In 1997, Gen-Xer Joshua Harris became a star of the Christian right thanks to his book, “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” — which advocated strict celibacy for unmarried couples. But the former megachurch pastor has since renounced far-right fundamentalist Christianity, apologized to the gay community for homophobic statements he made in the past, and declared “I am not a Christian.” Harris, now in his early forties, is highly critical of the Christian right’s alliance with President Donald Trump — and he addressed that relationship when interviewed by Axios co-founder Mike Allen for “Axios on HBO.”
During the interview, Allen told Harris, “It sounds like you think the church has made a massive mistake by becoming so identified with President Trump” — to which Harris replied, “I think it’s incredibly damaging to the gospel and to the church.”
Harris went on to say, “I don’t think it’s going to end well…. You look back at the Old Testament and the relationship between the prophets and really bad leaders and kings, and often times, it’s not something you unwind because it’s actually in the scriptures presented as God’s judgement on the false religion of the day.”
View the complete November 4 article by Alex Henderson on the AlterNet website here.