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Josh Harris’ Gay Pride Posts Raise Questions

By Julie Roys

Josh Harris yesterday posted numerous pictures of himself at a gay pride parade, prompting questions about whether something other than existential angst had prompted the best-selling Christian author to kiss his marriage and faith goodbye. Also, five days ago, Harris posted something to Instagram that indicated Harris wasn’t quietly walking away from Christianity, but wholly embracing another path.

“That old Bukowski poem has been ringing in my ears. ‘If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start,'” Harris wrote. He further stated that it’s important to him “to refuse to disappear. To live my life. Hold my head up. Look my Christian friends in the eyes and smile when I pass them on the sidewalk. Even the seemingly insignificant act of posting a picture on Instagram is important for me. To say I’m here, I’m alive, I’m not ashamed.”⁣

Below are Harris’ posts from yesterday, as well as his post from five days ago:

 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0l1020nlwb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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63 Responses

    1. Your comment is automatically discounted when you start throwing out a stat like, “100%”. The divorce rate is also a swayed stat (it combines 1,2,3, etc marriages in which the stat increases). I’m also making this comment as a marriage counselor….
      Lastly, why make the, “You’re not God and shouldn’t judge” comment on a blog site that is specifically used to comment on this type of story? Yes, God is love. American progressive Christianity makes that abundantly clear. However, He is just and it is beyond a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Let us act and live in that reality.

    2. Billy, you may be right about the things you posted about Heterosexuals, but the mistake you made is that Heterosexuals who are Mature Christians dont celebrate Adultrey pride, premarital sex Pride, or cheating on your spouse pride…..no, they call it what it is, Sin….if they’re truly born again they repent…. Real Christians dont believe that they are better than anyone, but The Holy Spirit literally lives in them and convicts them of Sin and Leads them to Repentance…and that is a life long battle for all Believers.

    3. Billy, I would like to take this opportunity to commend you on the scholarly research and statistics on heterosexuals relationships. Please cite where this data was sourced to add credibility to you and your statement. I highly suggest that you write and/or co-author a sequel titled “NO ONE Kissed Dating Goodbye”.
      Thank You in advance for sharing your wisdom, insight and intellectual supremacy.

  1. In his initial post about “leaving” his “faith” he mentioned being open to different ways of practicing faith or something along those lines. So, he might be back and jump on the worldly and heretical and satanic bandwagon of “you can be gay and be a Christian”. Which really should be called “you can live a homosexual lifestyle unceasingly and unapologetically and still be a Christian” because that’s what the lost actually think/feel/believe. So sad.

      1. Actually, I disagree. Jerks are not Christians, they just think they are. I find the two lifestyles to be incompatible. A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, whose entire teachings can be summed up as, “Love one another.” Amen.

    1. Listen to all the fake Christians on here. Explain to me again how you reconcile supporting blindly this President and has many, many many sins of the flesh AND beyond again??….asking for a friend.

      1. We are expected to forgive everyone, which includes the 3 presidents who preceded this one and their indiscretions and mistakes, which I do. I support much of Trump’s agenda and he at least refers to God when he speaks. I’d rather have a leader who is a hypocrite, but believes (or even claims to) in God, than one who ridicules religion, like many of the 2020 Democratic candidates..

        Although, there many who only want to condemn Christianity, while shouting to protect the rights of other religions. There are some wackos who claim to be Christian doing bad things, but if Christianity is to be judged by the actions of our heretics, who we denounce, does that mean that Islam should be judged by their extremists? As long as Islam denounces the extremist murderers, they are just as blameless as any group who has some members who don’t truly represent their beliefs.

        Do i disapprove of Trump and some of his actions? Of course, but removing him from office just because he’s not a lily white saint would be a calamity for all Americans. Do you really want a President Pence? Besides that, he has not done anything to warrant impeachment, despite what the haters want to believe. If we remove a President just because we don’t like him we have stepped onto the path to anarchy.

        I see many good things he has done, and I want to see more of it. I see nothing to be gained by his removal. That’s why I support him. His sins, such as they might be, are between him and God.

        I hope that helps your friend to understand, at least one Christian Trump supporter’s position.

      2. I hear your point, but bringing politics into this distracts from the point. It can sort of read like you are excusing sin because many Christians are hypocritical themselves, which I agree is wrong. Nevertheless… No leader is in place without God allowing them to be in place. Romans 13:1 Take Pharaoh for instance. To believe otherwise is to deny the sovereignty of God. If God wants to use even a problematic politician to accomplish things He will. Now is God happy about bad and abusive leaders? Of course not. Proverbs 16:12. The Bible also instructs we are to pray for all our leaders whether we disagree with them or support them. 1 Timothy 2:2. The last election was agonizing for many of us and involved a lot of prayer asking God for wisdom. Josh Harris, politics, whatever… it all needs to come back to what God has already said. It’s only His viewpoint that truly matters.

  2. Sadly, there are many closeted gay men/women in our pulpits and leading worship but the church continues to do nothing to help them. It’s just a matter of time before more “come out” of christianity and into the gay lifestyle… the church overall has been so relaxed in spiritual warfare and knowing who are enemy is – it breaks my heart that more and more homosexual men and women get married, have families and hope the gay away, it never works…

    1. Josh Harris has not claimed to be gay, at least not that I’m aware of. Though the concern arises, given the context of things he has said and done (like that odd photo), we should be careful not to jump to conclusions. My guess is that his Christianity was 99% morals and rules all along, and, for some reason, it disintegrated. .

  3. I see 2 things in his post that shed light on his direction. First, he says that it had been a mistake to go all out “spokesman” in the past, probably a position that he felt he was in before in which he felt suffocated. Secondly, the letters he is getting today help him feel less alone which tells me there was a significant personal loss associated with his decision.

  4. When I first heard Harris was leaving the faith I immediately thought that either he was in the midst of an extramarital affair or he had “discovered” that he is homosexual after all. Sin is so stinking deceptive. You can bet that what has happened to Harris didn’t happen overnight. It happened in small, incremental steps, with many poor decisions and choices: a rationalization here, a little peek there, a half truth here, an indiscretion there… they add up and when unchecked, with a deaf ear to the Holy Spirit, it ends up where Harris is now. Tragically, his chosen path will only end with catastrophic consequences–eternal separation from God. Believers, be wary, be vigilant, for your enemy the devil prowls about seeking whom he may devour. We must abide in Christ, read God’s Word daily, be obedient to Him no matter what, and spend time in prayer every day. We should also be part of a Bible believing church. “He who endures to the end will be saved.”

    1. Sarah, you are obviously not a Christian so you literally do not know what you are talking about. If, as you say, we Christians close our eyes in death to find our faith a lie, what have we lost? When you close your eyes in death to find it wasn’t a lie, you will reap what you have sown for an eternity. Personally, I think part of the unending torment the Bible speaks of involves the lost reliving in an endless loop every instance where they closed the door on God. The torment is also physical, and the Bible says you will wish for death to take you every moment of your existence, but it will never come. Scoff all you like, but you had better be sure there is no God.

    2. How loving, Sarah. Aren’t you just a paragon of virtue and wokeness. What a sweet and pleasant person you must be. So incredibly tolerant.

  5. Whether the questions you refer to are true or not, who really knows at this time. As an investigative journalist, you should refrain from publishing speculation of others.

    In Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver the Gay parade is attended by millions, MANY straight people attend as supporters or allies.

    It’s a fallacy to think if someone is attending there is good reason to think they might be gay. That’s like saying if someone attends a St. Patrick day parade there is good reason to think they might be Irish.

    Stick to facts not speculation.

    1. Bobb,

      A picture is worth a thousand words… taking a bite out of a “gay” doughnut…. wearing a SB7 hat, willing to hook-up with people below a 7…..

      It would be a bit trite to actually to come out and say he is a homosexual…a nuanced approach is preferred by Josh Harris .

      I do respect him for at least leaving Christianity to become a homosexual, it avoids all the non-sense that is going on in evangelical circles where churches are trying to argue the merits of homosexuality, Harris gets it, the two are incompatible.

      1. Again, maybe he is gay, maybe he isn’t. We don’t know.

        Where I’m from, in Toronto, many people celebrate pride during the parade, even if they are not gay. It’s not uncommon. It’s the same in Vancouver, where the pics are taken.

        Saying he must be gay for the shirt and doughnut pictures is like saying someone must be a Christian if they wear a cross, listen to hymns, etc.

        1. Or that if someone marches in a civil rights parade, they must be black. Please people, use your brain.

          1. Mustcatchfish, I use my brain to read God’s word that says do not give the nod to sin, do not promote it, since in the eyes of the Lord they are the same as doing the sin.

          2. Wow, for someone like Joshua Harris who says he doesn’t want to blog or podcast (as if he want to keep a low profile) don’t you think posting a bunch of pro pride Instagrams with more captions (that he knows will receive more attention) is a bit disengenuous? He runs a branding and marketing agency. There is nothing low profile going on here. Minimally he wants affirmation for admittedly walking away from God.

    2. Bobb, there is no speculation in Julie’s article. Are you saying she should publish certain comments that cantina speculation?

      1. “prompting questions about whether something other than existential angst had prompted the best-selling Christian author to kiss his marriage and faith goodbye”

        Which questions exactly? He has already said publicly on instagram he supports LGBT people. Attending a parade is a show of support.

        Would Julie be willing to clarify which questions she is referring to? Who’s questions in particular? As seen from the comments here, most think it means questions around his sexuality. But if we are misreading what questions Julie is referring to, I’m hoping Julie can clarify.

        1. Joshua Harris’ posts over the past couple weeks — including his most recent static post on Instagram and his Instagram story yesterday — raise questions for any thinking Christian. Take a look around social media, and you’ll see people inquiring about what Harris is trying to convey. When a public figure decides to make public statements, he/she should expect questions.

          I hope we can agree that there’s nothing accidental about what Harris is choosing to say & show. The rhetoric of “I’m here, I’m alive, and I’m not ashamed” is consistent with the LGBTQ movement. It’s not the tribal language of Christians who are “deconstructing,” exvangelicals, soon-to-be-divorced persons, or former pastors.

          Bobb, if you have no questions with respect to the storyline that Joshua Harris is constructing, then I’m guessing you are in the minority of Julie’s readers. I had questions when Harris and his wife posted their “separation” announcement. For example, I wondered, “Do they mean they’re getting a divorce?” When he apologized to the LGBTQ community, I thought, “Does this mean he will be making an announcement about his sexuality?”

          At the very least, we should all question why Harris is being so public whilst saying that he’s on an “inner journey,” needs to “avoid audiences,” and not become “a spokesperson for anyone or any cause.” Such pronouncements are eye-rollingly ironic–and disingenuous.

          1. I still don’t know which questions Julie is referring to about whether something else other than existential angst caused “kiss his marriage and faith goodbye.” What is the something else she is referring to? Does this reporting reflect “honesty, fairness and intellectual rigor” (as she describes her work on her about page) or simply the questions and theories of random people on the internet who have no connection to the source himself. I thought she made claims based on on the record sources, not speculations.

          2. Hi again, Bobb. Apologies if this post is above your reply. Replying below what you’ve said doesn’t seem to be an option on this comment board.

            Joshua Harris is divorcing from his wife, and has said that he is “deconstructing” his Christianity, is no longer a Christian by the measures he has used to define Christian, is undergoing a massive shift with respect to his faith in Jesus, etc. Characterizing his remarks to that point as attributable to existential angst is fair, because that’s what Harris conveyed.

            With the most recent posts, including the pride parade pics, any reasonable person would say, “Huh. All right, he’s clearly changed his views on sexuality in general. Is he also trying to signal something about his own sexuality? If so, could that be connected to what it happening with his marriage and his faith?”

            For many people–even if you’re not one of them–Harris’ posts do raise questions about the reasons he’s divorcing and renouncing Christianity. (As he intends, no doubt.) From my perspective, Julie is being honest, fair, and intellectually rigorous by acknowledging what everyone is thinking/ wondering/asking in their own brains.

    1. Yes! He is deceived by the enemy in these last days, for indeed, as in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.

      He is an arrogant narcissist, seeking attention. Every classic sign of a narcissist, from his first book to his current behavior.

  6. This is sad for Harris to promote gay pride . This is an abomination to our Lord and he is mocking Christianity . He will answer to our Lord for his deceit.

    1. On the contrary. This is how God made us, and if we properly examine the biblical passages typically.used to condemn queerness, they don’t hold up. God loves us all, and queer people aren’t broken.

      1. If you have time, I would like to request a more specific and detailed explanation of your stated opinion that certain Biblical passages “don’t hold up” in their condemnation of homosexual practices. You’re not the first individual I’ve heard to venture that belief, but I’ve never been able to listen to anyone clarify their perspective on that matter.

  7. It is men’s own evil will that chooses the way to hell; it is God’s free and sovereign grace that draws any to Himself and to heaven. To God the latter shall ascribe wholly their salvation from first to last: the former shall reproach themselves alone, and not God’s decree, with their condemnation (1Jo 3:9; 5:18).
    Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

  8. There is always a root cause for everything, nobody knows only him and God and time will tell what tell happens,pray for him. GOD BLESS??

  9. “Hebrews 6:4. – It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they call away to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”

    It is not that God would not take him back if he repented but he will not.
    It would be better for him to not have heard than to have heard and turned away.!!!!

    1. The question here is prompted by the rest of then passage in Hebrews 6:8 – was the doctrine that lead Josh to this result the product of a a fruitful crop, or that of thorns and thistles? To me, it seems that he merely turned away from what was not the fruit of Christ, but cursed fruit. I pray that he discovers the truth of Jesus and the gospel.

  10. Lord I hope and pray he repents of his pride and sin and comes back to God. Sadly, too many have fallen away from the truth and given into this evil. LGBT is one of the worst scourges on the church these days.

    1. How about divorce/remarriage? Fornication? Living together? Having children out of wedlock? Any of these in your church? Any church leaders in these categories?

  11. He will need to develop an income stream once his church change dries up. I see some new titles in the future:
    I Kissed Jesus Goodbye
    I Kissed My Wife Goodbye
    I Kissed My Kid’s View of a Godly Man Goodbye

    1. This is witty, but also sad. Since he is a branding / marketing agency owner he seems to be specializing now in “helping” others be “enlightened” and do reputation damage control for “wrong views” in the past. To be cashing in on his supposed wrong beliefs about Jesus and sin is absolutely disgusting. This is not simply denying Christ on a personal / private level, it’s a full blown encouragement of others to do the same. It is very much like satan’s attempt to pridefully do things better than God, to try to discredit God, to attack His children.

  12. Seems this same time frame, the Spirit Pride event involves 2 of the friends seen with Josh. Matthias Roberts is a writer, consultant, and host of Queerology: A Podcast on Belief and Being. His work has been featured in HuffPost Religion, Believe Out Loud, OnFaith, and The Oregonian. He holds an MA in Theology and Culture and an MA in Counseling Psychology. Matthias lives in Seattle and spends his time helping LGBTQ people of faith and allies live confidently.Trey Pearson, Musician, LGBTQ Advocate. (treypearson.com)

    With his Christian band Everyday Sunday, Trey Pearson sold hundreds of thousands of records and amassed millions of streams. He scored 5 #1 U.S. singles and 20 Top 10 hits. Three years ago Trey ‘came out of the closet’. His announcement started a national conversation with a television appearance on The View (nominated for a 2017 GLADD Award), and has been covered by The New York Times, Billboard Magazine, CNN and more, becoming the #1 trending topic worldwide on Facebook. Billboard Magazine did a feature on Trey for his new album, premiered the title track for his debut solo album “Love Is Love”, which is now available worldwide.

    Trey was nominated for a 2017 GLAAD Award for his appearance on The View. Trey has been performing at Pride Festivals all around the country. In response to the many inquiries he receives for support from people who are closeted, questioning, or out, he has started TREY’S SAFE SPACE, a place for LGBTQ persons and allies to talk about their stories and questions without fear of judgment. Whether from a religious background or not, his group is dedicated to being a safe space for all walks of life to share their journey.

    Trey will be here for the weekend with us, including participating in the morning Panel discussion and performing at our evening Sanctuary concert.

    1. Mathias gave the message at the service I attended on Sunday. It was very good, and truly, he does God’s work.

  13. Hi. Several things seem to be going on here…whatever his motivation, Mr. Harris is trying to message something through social media about sexuality…he seems to be doing a 180 from his old beliefs.

    But what I wonder, why can’t he be his wreck of a self AND have Jesus.

    Sufjan Stevens, the Christian Indie musician came to mind.

    He came from a really messed up background—his mother had mental illness, and abandoned them, along with other things—that likely affected his sexuality, and how he connects/loves people. You can see the struggle in his songs. It includes lyrics alluding to homosexuality.

    Now he is more open in his support of LGBTQetc (I don’t agree with him there all the way) but I honor his struggle to think deeply about Love and his identity and wrestle with God over it.

    See his blog:
    https://sufjan.com/

    And this:
    https://www.thefader.com/2019/06/13/sufjan-stevens-love-yourself-essay-gay-pride/amp

    More on his theology:
    https://theoutline.com/post/6505/sufjan-stevens-very-intriguing-person?zd=2&zi=wencjl2y

    Which brings me to…

    If Sufjan have his mess and still choose Jesus, why can’t Josh???

    I wish he’d (Josh) had someone who could have helped him struggle with God our Father and the hard questions.

    Pray that Jesus, the Father, and the Spirit draw him into a deeper and truer, real relationship with Him.

    Amen.

  14. We should, of course, let Joshua Harris speak for himself.

    He has spoken, by leaving his church, by leaving his wife, by leaving his faith, and by his words and pictures on Instagram. A picture is really worth a thousand words.

    His words and pictures could simply speak of support, but he seems bent on communicating an embrace, a celebration. Maybe that is all there is to it. Maybe not.

    We should be praying for his repentance.

    With God, all things are possible and there is always hope.

  15. Josh by just posting pictures himself is really asking for speculation. I am sure Josh knows what he is doing and is part of his strategy to draw out attention to himself. Josh wouldn’t get nearly the publicity if he shared all of where he was coming from at one time.

    1. Via urban dictionary: SB7
      Short for ‘swinging below 7’.

      Hooking up with someone who is clearly below a 7 on the attractiveness scale.
      “Old mate left ages ago; went home with an SB7.”

      “He’s on poor form tonight. He’s been SB7ing all night.”

      “She SB7ed with that guy from the bar.”

      1. Lol. You clearly don’t know anything about urban dictionary. For example, look up how urban dictionary defines ‘bible’ or any other word

  16. Harris will continue to seek the limelight and increase his fan base – for himself, no matter what his personal beliefs happen to be. He obviously thrives on the adulation and celebrity and he’s not about to give that up. His soon to be ex-wife is surely well aware of this. According to the bible ALL have sinned. None of us are worthy, if judged by our own efforts and inner conscience. That pretty much even things out on that field. But Christ displayed anger in the temple when he observed those who were selling their goods, in the house of his Father. Not good. This is where Mr. Harris will be held most accountable – selling his goods to an audience by fraudulent means. In short, he’s a charlatan. And he knows it. But people buy his stuff. I don’t envy the conversation he will face one day. Of course, he’ll have to wait in line I suppose.

  17. What is sad, is the LGBTQ community wants everyone to believe they stand for sexual diversity and acceptance. But that is a lie. I say this because they include everyone BUT someone who is heterosexual. Let’s call a spade a spade. They don’t want equal rights, they want more rights. They want the right to march in Gay Pride Parades (which they have the right to do) but they do not want to include heterosexuals as a sexual orientation. Not only that, we have an estranged son trying to block a Straight Pride Parade in CA. Again, lets look at the facts….gay people have the right to march in honor of their orientation, (excluding the H folks) but straight people don’t have the same right? IF all these Gay Pride events were truly about acceptance of ALL people, i suggest the initials might read LGBTQH.
    Just saying.

  18. If you have truly known Yeshua Jesus – known who he was historically, his significance as the messiah, have studied his words and let them scour your heart and change it – how could you then reject him in your heart… let alone publicly reject him. I am confused by Joshua’s actions, but his journey is not mine and I don’t intend to criticize this man. I am simply grieved that my beautiful, humble Lord has been received and then rejected so publicly. “Neither do I condemn you.”

  19. How is this blog post, arguing with unbelievers, and focusing on Josh Harris edifying to the body of Christ? He’s been very clear that he wants nothing more to do with Christianity. I think Christians should respect that and let him go. He’s clearly enjoying himself with his new lifestyle and friends. We’re just seeing his falling away publicly but God is not shocked by Harris’ actions. He didn’t just wake up one day and decide he was going to denounce Christ. He privately did that a long time ago in his heart. He finally is telling the rest of us in on the truth about who he really is. Thank God for that!

    If we really believe God can work all things for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purposes then we would be looking at the lesson in this for our own lives. Are we truly committed to Christ in our hearts where it matters vs. what the world sees? Anyone can (and clearly many do) LOOK like a Christian by practicing religion publicly. We can wear crosses, go to church, preach, teach, sing, pray, write books or whatever. But are we really committed ourselves? Are our own children outwardly “Christian” but inwardly a Josh Harris waiting to happen? This world is highly deceptive and the Bible teaches that the very elect among us will be deceived if we are not careful. We must fight daily to allow Jesus to strengthen the inner man and woman. We can’t face these temptations and deceptions alone. Homosexuality may not be our internal struggle or temptation but we all have one. Let’s seek God to strengthen us and one another lest we too fall.

    I get that this is shocking for many, especially those who followed Harris over the years, however it is time to move on from this. At this point it is becoming tabloid and picking at the bones. I appreciate this blog but I feel this post missed the mark.

  20. We have been blessed by what Josh did in the past. His book about male/female dating/relationships is still spot-on, even if he disavows them. As he is walking away, we should all pray for him without judging what behaviors presume he is engaging in. However, we should not enable anyone if they are going on the wrong path. So, let’s all model JESUS’ love in truth, not assumptions.

  21. I find it sad he’s wearing a “Life is great” t-shirt all the while his family is fractured, breaking relationships and friendships in every direction. Kind of a slap in the face to those hurting by his actions.

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