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Film Distributor Drops Joshua Harris’ Documentary After Being Blindsided By Author Saying He’s No Longer Christian

Image credit: TEDx Talks/YouTube
Image credit: TEDx Talks/YouTube
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By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

August 29, 2019

A film distributor that specializes in faith-based content has dropped a documentary by Joshua Harris after being blindsided by the author’s decision to abandon his Christian faith.

In the aftermath of Harris’ decision to leave his wife and his subsequent announcement that he is no longer a Christian, Exploration Films revealed it is cutting ties with the author of “I Kissed Dating Goodbye,” a book Harris has since denounced, which was the subject of his documentary, “I Survived ‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye.’”

Author Joshua Harris Kisses His Faith Goodbye: ‘I Am Not a Christian’

“Unfortunately, Josh did not tip off his film team partners of these surprising changes before his public post — nor how this would change our company’s distribution efforts of the film he had worked with us on to promote,” said Stephen Penn, a spokesperson for Exploration Films.

Penn went on to say the company wishes Harris “the best,” fully aware the author is “searching for answers.” 

“But due to the lack of transparency from Josh,” he continued, “we have no other choice but to halt promotion of the film.”

In an email to Faithwire, Penn said Harris’ actions put Exploration Films “in an awkward position and hurt our efforts in distribution, since many of our partners and outlets were knowingly in the Christian community.”

“Discussions that are Christian in nature happen throughout the film, and the former pastor’s public statements on marriage — and especially Christianity — undermine key parts of the film,” he continued. “It puts our team in an awkward position to promote it.”

As a result, the film distribution company has received “hundreds” of returns following Harris’ surprising lifestyle changes. One unnamed Christian retailer, Penn explained, told him they “immediately started receiving complaints from customers, ministries, and pastors demanding that they remove Harris’ products from their shelves after the statements.”

Harris announced via Instagram in late July that he is “not a Christian” anymore.

View this post on Instagram

My heart is full of gratitude. I wish you could see all the messages people sent me after the announcement of my divorce. They are expressions of love though they are saddened or even strongly disapprove of the decision.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I am learning that no group has the market cornered on grace. This week I’ve received grace from Christians, atheists, evangelicals, exvangelicals, straight people, LGBTQ people, and everyone in-between. Of course there have also been strong words of rebuke from religious people. While not always pleasant, I know they are seeking to love me. (There have also been spiteful, hateful comments that angered and hurt me.)⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The information that was left out of our announcement is that I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is “deconstruction,” the biblical phrase is “falling away.” By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian. Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I’m not there now.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Martin Luther said that the entire life of believers should be repentance. There’s beauty in that sentiment regardless of your view of God. I have lived in repentance for the past several years—repenting of my self-righteousness, my fear-based approach to life, the teaching of my books, my views of women in the church, and my approach to parenting to name a few. But I specifically want to add to this list now: to the LGBTQ+ community, I want to say that I am sorry for the views that I taught in my books and as a pastor regarding sexuality. I regret standing against marriage equality, for not affirming you and your place in the church, and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry. I hope you can forgive me.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ To my Christians friends, I am grateful for your prayers. Don’t take it personally if I don’t immediately return calls. I can’t join in your mourning. I don’t view this moment negatively. I feel very much alive, and awake, and surprisingly hopeful. I believe with my sister Julian that, “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

A post shared by Joshua Harris (@harrisjosh) on Jul 26, 2019 at 12:04pm PDT

“I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus,” he wrote. “The popular phrase for this is ‘deconstruction,’ the biblical phrase is ‘falling away.’ By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian.”

That statement came on the heels of his revelation that he is divorcing his wife, though he assured his followers he and Shannon plan to “continue life together as friends.”

In fall 2018, Harris denounced his past writings. He said at the time he “no longer agree[s] with its central idea that dating should be avoided,” referring to “I Kissed Dating Goodbye,” which was a very popular title in the evangelical community.

“I now think dating can be a healthy part of a person developing relationally and learning the qualities that matter most in a partner,” he said.

Pastor Removes Foreword by Joshua Harris From Book, Says It Could ‘Lead Others Astray’

The former pastor has had the book pulled from future production.

As for the documentary, rights to the project have since been returned to lead filmmaker Jessica Van Der Wyngaard. The documentary features Harris listening to readers of his work reveal to him how “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” negatively impacted their lives.

But as a result of Harris’ misleading behavior, they no longer have a distributor.

“Integrity in business,” Penn said, “is something that is very important for us.”

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