The man behind an international bestselling Christian guide to relationships announced he has abandoned his faith following the breakdown of his marriage.
Former US pastor Joshua Harris, who authored a book advocating against sex before marriage and homosexuality called I Kissed Dating Goodbye, also apologised to the LGBTQ+ community for the image of sexuality presented in his books.
"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," he wrote in an Instagram post on the weekend," he said.
"I hope you can forgive me."
Mr Harris also said that he had "lived in repentance" for several years, specifically mentioning his self-righteousness, the teachings of his books and his views of women within the church as reasons for this.
The author had confirmed his divorce from his wife of 21-years in a separate Instagram post, citing "significant changes" in both of them.
The book argued that to be serious about preventing sex before marriage, young Christians should also stop recreational dating - an idea Mr Harris has since disowned.
It's not the first time the 44-year-old has spoken out against the ideas promoted in I Kissed Dating Goodbye, which he published in 1997 when he was just 21.
In an earlier statement posted to his website, Mr Harris said he had spent two years reevaluating the book and was "sincerely sorry" to anyone who had been misdirected, restricted or hurt by it.
"I want you to hear that I regret any way that my ideas restricted you, hurt you, or gave you a less-than-biblical view of yourself, your sexuality, your relationships, and God," the statement read.
He also gave a TEDX talk in 2017 titled 'Strong Enough to be Wrong' in which he again admitted to hurting people through the book.
