Skillet lead singer John Cooper is using his voice to strongly condemn Michael Tait’s actions.
Cooper called the allegations against the ex-Newboys frontman “a shame and a tragedy for the church” and urged others in the Christian music industry to issue “full-throated condemnation[s] of these acts.”
“I feel a burden from the Lord,” he said on his podcast, “Cooper Stuff.” “The Lord would not let me rest. I was so conflicted. I don’t want to do this, but the Lord would not leave me alone about it. Because I’ve got to be honest, I am very dissatisfied with the comments that I have seen from CCM that seem so heavily vested in the idea, which has some truth to it, of, ‘Hey, let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Hey, we all need to have grace. We’re all sinners. We need to focus on my own sin.’ Obviously, these things are true, but that is not where we need to begin.”
Cooper continued, “We need a full-throated condemnation of these acts, not a condemnation of people. We’re not condemning people. We’re condemning the actions of people. Full-throatedly, unapologetically, we do not shrink back.”
The allegations against Tait include claims of years-long predatory behavior, watching a rape, and assaulting young men, including two of whom were minors. While the 59-year-old star did post an initial apology, the admission does not cover the breadth of the numerous accusations leveled against him.
Without an unwavering condemnation of Tait’s alleged actions, the larger Christian “testimony to the world is at stake,” adding the victims of the singer’s choices should be “prioritized.”
“My focus is those who have been victimized, allegedly abused, sexually assaulted by Michael Tait,” said Cooper, describing Tait’s purported actions as “very dark.”
He then argued those in the contemporary Christian music industry — and believers writ large — should in no way downplay the severity of the claims against Tait.
“It is improper to jump straight to [a mentality of], ‘We’ve got to be loving, we’re all sinners, we’ve all fallen short, and we can’t bring judgment,'” he explained. “Yes, we’re all sinners. There’s a time for that. … But there are categories on the front of this that we cannot skip.”
Mishandling scandals like Tait’s, he believes, could significantly impact the Christian witness.
“What kind of Gospel are we displaying to the world when … our biggest, most passionate, most famous Christian music icons … say, ‘I’ve been living a double life since the beginning?’ he asked. “It makes it feel like our Gospel is not real.”
Grace should certainly not eclipse justice, he noted, but it still has a significant role to play.
Cooper also addressed those who have called the allegations against Tait an “open secret” in the CCM world, explaining he finds that “very difficult to believe.”
“I did not know this,” he said. “I find it very difficult to believe that everybody in CCM knew that there were alleged sexual assault victims.”
The Skillet frontman’s comments come after Christian worship leader Cory Asbury said “everyone knew” about Tait’s alleged sins. Additionally, while singer-songwriter Rhett Walker said Tait ought to go to “jail” if all the allegations against him are proven true, he urged caution toward those seeking to dismantle the entire CCM industry.
“I know a lot of artists, radio peeps, promoters and so forth that are about sharing the Gospel,” he wrote.
You can read more about Walker’s comments here.
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