Joshua Harris, the author and pastor who transformed the way a generation of Christians thought about dating, announced Thursday he and his wife were separating.
Harris’ books I Kissed Dating Goodbye (1997) and Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship (2000) helped change the way countless singles viewed romantic relationships in the late 1990s and 2000s.
I Kissed Dating Goodbye was a bestseller, and he and Shannon were married a few years after its publication.
On Thursday, he and Shannon announced on their Instagram pages they were separating. Each post was accompanied by a picture of them together.
“We’re writing to share the news that we are separating and will continue our life together as friends,” it read. “In recent years, some significant changes have taken place in both of us. It is with sincere love for one another and understanding of our unique story as a couple that we are moving forward with this decision.
“We hope to create a generous and supportive future for each other and for our three amazing children in the years ahead. Thank you for your understanding and for respecting our privacy during a difficult time.”
Harris has expressed regret about some of the conclusions of his books. He discussed the topic in a 2018 documentary, I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye.
“My book hurt people. My book helped people,” he said during the documentary. “The tension of both of those things being true… reflects the complexity of reality. My thinking has changed since I wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye. I think that its premise is flawed. I don’t agree with a lot of my own book.”
He formerly served as executive pastor of Covenant Life Church in Maryland. At the time of the documentary, he was a graduate student at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C.
Related:
3 Things Joshua Harris Regrets about I Kissed Dating Goodbye
Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Motortion