One of the men who accused former Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait of sexual assault is criticizing a pastor who posed for a photo with the contemporary Christian musician and appeared to equate the artist's actions to a “stumble.” Nathan Mudd, pastor of Ottawa Community Church in Ottawa, Kansas, shared a photo of himself with Tait on social media last week. Mudd has since made his Facebook and Instagram profiles private.
But a screenshot of his Facebook post, shared on Threads, shows the two men posing together with this caption: “Just gave Michael Tait a hug! So glad to see him at a KC MO [Kansas City, Missouri] gathering for pastors.
We all stumble in many ways but in Christ our past is God’s weapon!!!” Last year, Tait faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and substance abuse, and an extensive investigation was published by The Roys Report. The investigation spanned more than two years with interviews with over 50 sources. The accusers said Tait engaged in predatory behavior while they were in their early 20s.
They all described similar patterns of grooming, alcohol use and non-consensual physical contact. Randall Crawford, one of many men who have come forward in recent years to allege sexual abuse by Tait, responded to Mudd’s post in a message that investigative journalist Julie Roys shared on X over the weekend.
“I’m one of the men who came forward about Michael Tait, and calling what happened a ‘stumble’ is exactly what is wrong with celebrity Christianity,” he wrote. “I believe in grace. I believe in forgiveness. But forgiveness is not the same thing as restoration to a platform.” “Repentance requires accountability and Michael has never contacted me to apologize or ask my forgiveness for what he did to me,” Crawford added.
“Yet pastors are already embracing