Continuing with our Top Ten Series featuring my favorite authors:
#5: Joshua Harris
People in the Christian singles community have debated long and hard about the principles put forth by Joshua Harris in his two books: I Kissed Dating Good-bye (which advocates a return to courtship rather than casual dating) and Boy Meets Girl (which chronicles his own courtship with his eventual wife, Shannon). I don't want to have that debate here. Instead, I want to talk about why I am so attracted to his writing.
These two particular books put the needs and emotions of others first and I love that. And I love his message to single men. He told us that we need to be mindful to not take advantage of a woman's emotions by expressing interest in her (either verbally or nonverbally) if we aren't truly interested in knowing more about her. I took that challenge to heart and it changed the way I approached possible relationships.
Harris's third book, called not even a hint, is a call for singles to guard their hearts against lust. And his fourth book, Stop Dating the Church encourages people to find a church and to get involved there--even if it has flaws.
No matter what subject Harris is addressing, I always feel like he's a fellow struggler who is just coming along side me to join me in my struggle. He certainly has strong opinions (many of which I agree with) and he's not afraid to share them, but his books are clothed in a spirit of love and I highly appreciate that.
