onstage during the 6th Annual KLOVE Fan Awards at The Grand Ole Opry on May 27, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee.
I’m sure there are many of you here, who listen to Christian Rock and watch cheesy apologetics movies, but you could have predicted this. Michael Tait, lead singer of the Newsboys, has…
No, he hasn’t died. It’s the other thing you could have predicted.
…has confessed to cocaine use, drinking, sexual abuse, and grooming.
After meeting Tait at a concert in 2004, a then-22-year-old worship musician said he was invited twice to visit Tait’s home in Nashville, Tennessee, despite living eight hours away, according to the report. During the second visit, the musician said, Tait exposed his genitals and touched the musician’s anal area without consent. The musician told The Roys Report he initially thought Tait’s actions were an “anomaly.”
An “anomaly”. I think maybe this unnamed worship musician was remarkably naive.
Years later, a 22-year-old touring musician with the Chris Sligh band, which opened for the Newsboys in 2010, was befriended by Tait, despite Tait being 21 years older. The Chris Sligh bandmate alleged that in January 2011, Tait assaulted him after inviting him to his home and providing him with alcohol. The musician said he woke in the early morning to Tait kissing him and touching his genitals. He told The Roys Report he saw Tait as “basically the top of the food chain” in the Christian music industry.
The pattern reportedly repeated in 2014. A 22-year-old crew member said that after a night of drinking, Tait offered him cocaine. He later woke up to Tait touching his genitals over his clothes, he said according to The Roys Report.
You know, there were five God’s Not Dead movies released between 2014 and 2024. Tait has been the lead singer since 2009. But he was so sincere in those movies.
I saved the worst revelation for last.
Tait is also known for his conservative politics. In 2016, he endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for president before supporting Donald Trump. Tait signed a letter opposing Trump’s 2019 impeachment and was a performer at a January 2020 Evangelicals for Trump concert.
Unbelievable. Such a good Christian.
Don’t worry, I’m sure there will be a redemption tour.
I actually kinda liked the first God’s not Dead movie, but not for the intended reasons. I think I may have gone to hate watch it at a local theater, just because, and the budding relationship between the African pastor and the guy who has been in almost every Christian movie made in the last couple decades was cute, even if their spiritual arc ended in taking Kevin Sorbitol’s angry atheist deathbed confession after eating the bumper and windshield of an oncoming car. That scene was priceless. I think Willie Robertson made a cameo in the movie. I really didn’t know who he was at the time, but I would eventually watch Duck Dynasty and not completely hate it either. Could have been NFL superstar Papa Phil recently passed on. I did not like him, but Uncle Si was kinda goofy.
Anyway the Newsboys didn’t strike me as my kind of music. For quasi-Christian music I always liked POD and Creed (who get a bunch of unwarranted hate). Scott Stapp himself has been a hot mess over the years. I last thought of him when Kid Rock made the news cycle a few times recently. Stapp and Rock were an odd match and that relationship took a wild turn. Not sure how Stapp’s shenanigans compare to Michael Tait‘s.
I watched one or maybe two of the God’s not Dead sequels. Not nearly as good (for unintended reasons) as the original.
That actor who has been in almost every Christian movie is David A. R. White. There was a movie on TV one night years ago called Hidden Secrets with John Schneider which was Christian themed but I don’t recall being horrible. Maybe it was. Guess who also starred in that one… David A. R. White.
When I think about punishing Trump I recall Peter Stormare’s version of Lucifer in Constantine, when Constantine (Keanu Reeves) is dying of blood loss. Lucifer says “I have prepared a whole amusement park fir you”.
I guess it shouldn’t surprise anyone that a phony-Christian and sexual predator would so strongly support a child-raping con-artist as President…
Y’know, I’m not even sure this is sad news for his fans? As you noted, it gives him a chance for a redemption arc, which to their way of thinking is much more important and admirable than just getting through life without doing terrible things to anyone.
He’s overqualified for lead singer in a Christian band. He should move up to televangelist.
I refuse to accept the writers are too incompetent to not name a sequel God’s still not dead.
Alas I’m still waiting 😞
Per the Wikipedia article on the Newsboys, after these reports about Tate came out: ‘The remaining members of the band issued a statement saying that while Tait had confessed to “living a double life” as a reason for leaving the band, they were unaware of the allegations made against him prior to the reports. Two days later, the band confessed that they heard rumors of Tait’s behavior, which he denied when initially confronted about it.’ So they knew something before the reports. You have to wonder about these guys.
Don’t worry. He just needs to make another altar call and all is forgiven.
@3 Raging Bee. What makes you think he was/is a phony-Christian?
Oh snap, this jackass was part of DC Talk too?
Liberty University? Why is fairly recent sex related scandal tapping at my memory banks with that distinguished institution?
And Christian rock-rap? Say what you want about NuMetal but I’d take Korn or Limp Bizkit over those poseurs any day. Hell I can even understand wanting to run over Fred Durst:
My @10 quote from:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Talk
What a pervert!
Anyone who owns Newsboys paraphernalia can throw it all away and not listen to their “godly” music anymore.
If only there were some sort of magical deity or son-of-deity to which this massively troubled individual could turn to, ask for forgiveness, and be granted a universal get-out-of-jail card without having to do, well, anything.
If only…
Y’know, for God not being dead, they sure have to repeat the claim a lot.
Um, the most obvious thing: if one feels the need to assert that God is not dead, then they are perforce conceding that God can die.
(Else, they’d say God cannot die, right?)
Brian Wilson is dead.
Tait has nothing to worry about. He’s a prime candidate for a Trump pardon. And as Trump has been annointed by God as his representative on Earth that clears him all the way to the top.
Shout out to Julie Roys, one of the very few honest conservative evangelicals willing to call out the rampant corruption and malfeasance within the evangelical community.
Ooh, Scathing Atheist is gonna have a field day with this one!
I want there to be a “Facts Not Dead” movie that flips the script. A bunch of Christians get upset at a history teacher saying something bad, but true, about their religion. In the end, the only conventionally attractive member of the group converts to Wicca after finding out his ancestors were oppressed by Christians at one point.
Goddammit. My @ 2 was intended for the next thread, as is probably obvious.
But this Tait dude also deserves contempt.
Larry: Trump charges a couple million for a pardon.