Newsboys’ Michael Tait Praised for ‘Masterclass’ and ‘Heartful’ Confession of Sin
The former lead singer of the Christian rock band ‘The Newsboys,’ Michael Tait, is receiving an outpouring of support following the release of his confession of sin on Instagram after being accused of drug use and sexual misconduct towards several young men, with many pointing to it as a model of repentance that other Christian leaders who have imploded their world can learn from.
In his post, Tait wrote:
“Recent reports of my reckless and destructive behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity are sadly, largely true. For some two decades I used and abused cocaine, consumed far too much alcohol, and, at times,. I am ashamed of my life choices and actions, and make no excuses for them. I will simply call it what God calls it-sin. I don’t blame anyone or anything but myself. While I might dispute certain details in the accusations against me, I do not dispute the substance of them.”
Rather than minimize the wrongfulness of his actions, Tait instead lays it out there without justification.
I’m ashamed to admit that for years I have lied and deceived my family, friends, fans, and even misled my bandmates about aspects of my life. I was, for the most part, living two distinctly different lives. I was not the same person on stage Sunday night that I was at home on Monday.
I was violating everything I was raised to believe by my God-fearing Dad and Mom, about walking with Jesus and was grieving the very God I loved and sang about for most of my life. By His grace, I can say that for the past six months, I have lived a singular life-one of utter brokenness and total dependence on a loving and merciful God.
and
I have hurt so many people in so many ways, and I will live with that shameful reality the rest of my life. I can only dream and pray for human forgiveness, because I certainly don’t deserve it. I have even accepted the thought that God may be the only One who ultimately and completely forgives me. Still, I want to say I’m sorry to everyone I have hurt. I am truly sorry. It is my hope and prayer that all those I have hurt will receive healing, mercy, and hope from the Merciful Healer and Hope-Giver.
He concludes:
Sin is a terrible thing, taking us where we don’t want to go; keeping us longer than we want to stay; and costing us more than we want to pay. I accept the consequences of my sin and am committed to continuing the hard work of repentance and healing-work I will do quietly and privately, away from the stage and the spotlight.
To the extent my sinful behavior has caused anyone to lose respect or faith or trust in me, I understand, deserve, and accept that. But it crushes me to think that someone would lose or choose not to pursue faith and trust in Jesus because I have been a horrible representative of Him-for He alone is ultimately the only hope for any of us.
King David’s prayer of repentance in Psalm 51 has been my prayer this year: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness… Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me… Create in me a new heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
We posted his confession to our X account and received hundreds of comments about it at the time of writing, with 95% of them positive, with a small sample posted below:
Amidst the prayers and pleas, many online commentators have noted that Tait’s admission of wrongdoing is in sharp contrast to that of another high-profile leader who recently underwent public scrutiny.
Many people compared this statement to Author and radio host Dr. Michael Brown’s statements and actions following accusations that he’d been involved in “sexually abusive misconduct.” User have been pointing out that while Tait seems to have completely and unreservedly owned his sin, Brown and his elder team sought to minimize his actions, insisting that he’d only engaged in “moral indiscretions” when he had a sexually charged and inappropriate relationship with another man’s wife and engaged in “leadership misconduct’ when he was smacking a student on her backside.
However, despite his openness, questions remain about how much his bandmates knew, given that they toured with him for 15 years and to what degree they were kept in the dark, as Tait claims.
Music journalist Jessica Morris, who originally broke the story in a feature for The Roys Report, has follow-up articles dropping soon centering around Newsboys’ manager, the extent to which he knew of Tait’s actions, and the actions he took to cover it up.