The CCM Industry Needs a Come to Jesus Moment
We need to talk about Michael Tait and how he got away with sex offenses for twenty years while producing Christian music
By now everyone knows that Michael Tait, former lead singer of the Christian band Newsboys has been caught up in a scandal. He’s admitted to “living a double life” for twenty years by using cocaine, partying, and touching men in ways they did not consent to.
I respect someone who has the honesty and vulnerability to own up to his shit in public, but his confession does fall short. From what I’ve read, I do believe he is in the process of taking responsibility for his actions, but he seems to be gaslighting the victims of his sexual crimes. Tait still isn’t willing to own up to the entirety of his sins yet.
In his public, written confession, the entirety of which can be read here, he states “while I might dispute certain details in the accusations against me, I do not dispute the substance of them.” Allegations of child sexual abuse (one of his victims was 13) are serious and need to be dealt with appropriately. Right now it seems that he’s still trying to cover up his sexual crimes.
Like St. Paul, I’ve identified as the chief of sinners. I have done some seriously fucked up shit in my life. Terrible, evil things of which I am ashamed and have dealt with appropriately. I don’t want to be judged by the worst things I ever did, and I don’t want to judge Tait that way either. That said, if he’s truly repentant, he will own up to his crimes and accept the consequences of them.
There is no way in hell that I believe that the Newsboys and the Christian musci industry in general didn’t know about this. I’m still involved in a situation where I’m attempting to hold people I love and trusted accountable for harboring a clearly unrepentant sex offender. Some of them have enabled him for decades, and so far gotten away with it.
In the official statement published by the Newsboys, they said “last night our hearts were shattered when we read the news alleging drug abuse and inappropriate sexual actions by our former lead singer, Michael Tait. While Michael has not addressed these allegations, we are devastated even by the implications.” Here they clearly acknowledge that Tait has not acknowledged the accusations of sexual assault.
If he’s truly repentant, Tait will address the allegations, and take responsibility for his actions, even if that means he will go to prison. I do believe that God will forgive absolutely anything, but it doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences. This is an extremely difficult but necessary process.
Some claim (with merit in my opinion) that the Contemporary Christian Music industry helped to create this situation, and that if Michael Tait was doing it openly enough that everyone knew, then so are a lot of other people. I do believe, from my own life experiences, that it’s easy to create these kinds of situations because industries and organizations circle their wagons and protect each other at all costs, even when it does harm to others.
This is a sad and unfortunate reality. I do believe there are genuine artists in the CCM industry who love God and who are called to create music, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t problems with the industry itself. There are people who are offended by this idea but I think it’s just natural. Many in this world want fame, money, and power. It’s the nature of the beast.
I believe that the entire CCM scene needs to take a really close look at things, perhaps especially those who are truly called. They need to face the facts and see things as they really are, because honesty is the only way forward.
Hayley Williams of the pop punk band Paramore said that the entire industry is corrupt, and that part of the problem is that CCM artists are, for the most part, not affirming of the LGBTQ+ community. For what it’s worth, I do think she has a point here. Christian musician Rhett Walker adamantly disagrees with Williams, and is upset that she blames the industry as a whole.
Many evangelical Christians agree with Walker, and are mad that other people want Tait to take responsibility for his sex offenses, quoting words of Jesus out of context in order to justify their refusal to admit that there is something very wrong here. They want to use the fact that God forgives to cover up Tait’s actions and this seems to be a common problem in Christianity in general.
I have seen comments on social media saying that these allegations are an attack of Satan on the CCM industry, which to me is ridiculous. Now, I believe in Satan and that he prowls around like a lion seeking people to devour, as the Bible says, but I don’t believe that the allegations against Tait are from Satan. Actually, if I were going to credit Satan with anything here, it would be that there is enough evil in the industry to have corrupted it enough to contine to cover-up things of this nature.
One of the first Bible verses I learned as a small child was “be sure your sin will find you out,” and that’s what has happened here. Tait’s actions have caught up with him and he has been exposed. Things of this nature tend to come to the light eventually.
I’m glad that the things done in the darkness are being exposed in the light, because it’s the only way to truly change. Those in the CCM world need to demand accountability and repent for the harm done within CCM itself. It’s been too easy to cover things of this nature up, not just within the CCM industry, but also within the church and Christianity as a whole. It’s time to clearn up our own back yard.