And then there was one.
In a gut-wrenching confession, former DC Talk and Newsboys singer Michael Tait posted to social media an admission that recent accusations about his drug abuse and sexual immorality are largely true.
Tait follows fellow DC Talk bandmate Kevin Max in displaying sinful rebellion to the truths they espoused during their profitable singing careers. Hauntingly, both Tait and Max have grown to embody the lyrics of two of the group's most famous songs. While Tait's confession, in an era of non-apologies and self-justification, seemed refreshingly genuine, these words were particularly meaningful to DC Talk fans:
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 ultimate the only hope for any of us.
In 1995, the three-man band released their hit song, "What if I Stumble," that included this quote from Brennan Manning:
The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today, is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.
While Christian thinkers might quibble with the accuracy of Manning's quote, it certainly set the tone for the message of the song whose chorus included these words:
What if I stumble? What if I fall? What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all? Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl? What if I stumble, and what if I fall?
It's a devastating thought to consider that while performing those lyrics on stage, Tait was privately choosing behavior that manifest the very fear they express. The degree to which Satan can numb our consciences and blind us by pride is terrifying.
If Tait isn't example enough of that fact, his former bandmate and DC Talk frontman Kevin Max certainly is. Several years ago, Max announced himself to be an "exvangelical," liberated from orthodox Christianity by his evolving, enlightened understanding. In an effort to curry favor with the world, Max openly mocked the concept of biblical authority stating, "I don't think the God that I believe in is going to just all of a sudden ignore me because I don't believe every single thing that's written down somewhere [in the Bible]."
Of course it isn't a question of God ignoring Kevin Max. By his own rejection of the inerrancy of Scripture, it is Kevin choosing to ignore God. And just like Tait, Max's departure from the faith and his willful embrace of the spirit of the age exemplifies the very lifestyle DC Talk sang about in their 1998 song, "My Friend (So Long)":
I saw your video on VH-1. Looks like they spent a ton. How does it feel to be the flavor for a spell?
And I remember when you used to say, 'Jesus is the way.' I never thought I'd see your light begin to fade.
The situation's awfully dim. Should we up and go with him?
No way.
We know exactly where you are, and you're gone my friend. Don't know exactly where you're coming from. You've gone away my friend.
One of the most popular CCM acts of the 1990s and 2000s has seen two-thirds of their membership fall away on account of sinful rebellion. Tait seems repentant, Max does not. Christians should pray for both, as well as the one remaining, seemingly faithful member of the original group, Toby Mac.
Sometimes the worst thing to happen to us as human beings is success, fame, and notoriety.
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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Not the Bee or any of its affiliates.
