Skillet's John Cooper Calls for Biblical Accountability in Michael Tait Case
John Cooper, the lead singer for the Christian rock band Skillet, has called for a "full-throated condemnation" against the alleged actions of former Newsboys frontman Michael Tait, including sexual assault. In his latest episode of the "Cooper Stuff" podcast, "Michael Tait, Christian Music, and The Gospel That Doesn't Look The Other Way," Cooper said he felt a "burden from the Lord" to address the allegations surrounding Tait after they surfaced last month, The Christian Post reported.
"I feel a burden from the Lord. The Lord would not let me rest. I was so conflicted," Cooper explained. "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."
"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," he added.
Cooper, who is also a board member of Nashville's Ascent Church, argued that the survivors of Tait's alleged abuse must be "prioritized" and that "our testimony to the world is at stake."
"My focus is those who have been victimized, allegedly abused, sexually assaulted by Michael Tait," he said.
The rocker also downplays the severity of abuse in the name of grace or unity, as seen in Evangelical Christian culture.
"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 said. "Yes, we're all sinners. There's a time for that …but there are categories on the front of this that we cannot skip."
In a confession last month, Tait admitted he had been living a "double life," touching "men in an unwanted sensual way" after a report from The Roys Report found he had engaged in substance abuse, including grooming young men dating back to 2004. Three more men stepped forward and alleged that the former DC Talk singer had sexually abused them, according to The Guardian.
Tait also abruptly stepped away from the Newsboys in January, and the band was dropped from their record label, Capitol Christian Music Group, last month. The band also had their tour in Canada cancelled, and their music, including DC Talk, was dropped from the K-Love radio network.
Although Cooper commended Tait for making the confession, he lamented that it was made only after the allegations went public.
"I appreciate that Michael gave the confession with all my heart. …It was written very well, and he didn't make excuses. And I champion that. At the same time, he gave the confession after it blew up."
"Do you know what it would have been like [if Tait] would have confessed to this a long time ago, in order to bring repair to people, in order to maybe stop people's lives from being shipwrecked?" Cooper asked. "This sort of thing shipwrecks people because it shames the Gospel."
"We cannot turn a blind eye to this level of alleged injustice. We cannot do that!" he contended.
Cooper also questioned the integrity of Christian artists and whether or not their profession of faith is genuine.
"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," he added.
WATCH: Michael Tait, Christian Music, and the Gospel That Doesn't Look the Other Way
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Ethan Miller/Staff
Originally published July 03, 2025.
