Amid the fallout surrounding former Newsboys frontman Michael Tait, artist Rhett Walker responded to “keyboard warriors” criticizing the CCM industry by noting that the genre includes “a lot of prayed up, Bible believing, Jesus seeking artists.”
Walker, who shares a management company with the Newsboys and recently performed alongside the band in his hometown on May 2, took to social media to express frustration with what he described as “keyboard warriors” attacking the broader CCM community rather than focusing on the allegations themselves.
“I wasn’t gonna speak up about the Michael Tait situation and allegations cause it’s none of my business,” the 38-year-old artist wrote. “I didn’t know, so I have nothing to say now other than, if they are true, put him in jail.”
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Tait, who led the Newsboys for 15 years and was also a member of the group DC Talk, abruptly stepped away from the band on Jan. 16. In the weeks that followed, he was accused of grooming, drugging, and sexually assaulting young men, including minors. Tait later confessed that the allegations surrounding him are “largely true.”
In June, The Roys Report published new allegations from a woman who claims the artist watched while she was raped by a crew member during a 2014 tour.
Walker’s comments addressed not only the allegations but also what he characterized as an unfair backlash against the Christian music industry at large. Following the release of the reports, Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams was among those who called for the CCM industry to “crumble.”
Walker said he’s “started to see a bunch of keyboard warriors posting all of their thoughts… not about the allegations… but about the CCM industry.”
“That’s where I step in. I’m seeing a lot of posts about how the CCM INDUSTRY is only about making money. The whole thing should be canceled. Just make art. Etc, etc… sooooooooo here we go!”
The singer pushed back on the idea that making money and pursuing ministry are mutually exclusive.
“You wanna make art and not be in the CCM industry… there’s plenty other genres for you to join… bye,” he said. “Ohh crap, capitalism… Yea, my calling is my job. So I do have to pay bills and this is what pays my bills. I hope your calling is also your job. If a plumber has the same allegations and they are true, once again… jail. But I don’t cancel the plumbing industry.”
Walker added, “The sin has consequences,” asserting that “it feels weak to hate an industry because of bad people inside it.”
“Stand up and call out the bad people,” he wrote. “I know a lot of artists, radio peeps, promoters and so forth that are about sharing the Gospel.”
He emphasized his identity is as “a Believer, Husband and Father,” writing, “I don’t care to be famous. But, miss me with the CCM industry is only about money and so forth.”
“I have 4 kids … I gotta make money,” he wrote. “But there’s a difference in the reason and the why. Just because you can serve at your local church for free doesn’t negate the fact you work 8–5 Mon–Fri to MAKE MONEY!!”
Encouraging fans not to “throw the baby out with the bath water,” Walker said the CCM world includes “a lot of prayed-up, Bible believing, Jesus-seeking artists.”
“Let’s support them while our industry is hurting,” he wrote, “while being man and woman enough to call out hypocrisy without pointing fingers at everybody. When I was growing up, the bully at school got hit in the mouth. … The whole class wasn’t punished for the bad one. We called it out.”
He concluded his message with a challenge to both insiders and outsiders of the CCM scene.
“If you ain’t in the industry … pray for it. If you are, instead of talking crap, be loud about the good ones and support,” Walker wrote.
“Christian radio changed my life as a kid. So I’m thankful for the good ones,” he added. “It’s not an industry. It’s a heart problem. Call it out. Stand strong and firm in what you believe and point to Jesus.”
In a recent interview with The Christian Post, artist Natalie Grant emphasized that God is actively refining the CCM space.
“God will always have the final say,” she said. “There will still be fruit … because the truth of the Gospel was in it. But God will always prune. He will always purify.”
She advised younger artists to embrace the “long road of obedience” and refrain from getting “weary of doing good,” as advised in Galatians 6.
“Don’t take the shortcut,” she said. “Stay on the long road of obedience, surround yourself with community, stay plugged into a local church. … Have people that are asking you the tough questions. None of us are built for the spotlight.”
