As a fan of DC Talk and Newsboys in my youth, Michael Tait’s recent scandal hits hard and weighs heavy. It’s not the kind of story I can read and then set aside to get on with my day. As sad and sickening as it is, I also find it infuriating. I have literally had it up to *HERE* with Christian celebrity culture! 

Why have we done this to ourselves? Why have we fawned over and fed an industry that insulates its stars in order to keep the fame and funds flowing? Why do we elevate our idols to untouchable positions where their behaviour is met with a blind eye rather than accountability?

Remember that 1995 DC Talk song, “What if I Stumble”?

“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 seems we finally have an answer to this haunting question. And that answer is now haunting me.

What happens when a Christian celebrity stumbles and falls? If they’ve climbed high enough, their abuse and immaturity and wickedness can be hidden for years, within an industry fuelled by an insatiable appetite for popularity, power, and wealth.

What if I stumble? Your stardom status will shield you.

What if I fall? Your enormous affluence will cushion you.

What if I lose my step? Your colleagues will make excuses or pretend not to notice.

I’m sorry if this sounds simplistic or cynical, but the insulation of this industry is insidious. Without such screens in place to obscure their behaviour, would these celebrities have the luxury of falling so far or of causing so much damage? It’s not fair to the victims. And it’s not fair to the perpetrators either.

Moving up the echelons of fame provides ways and means of buying off or putting off the repercussions of one’s actions. But that doesn’t eliminate the fallout; it just gives it time to grow in gravity.

In contrast, most of us face the consequences of our slips and falls relatively quickly. We may not always realize it, but that shorter distance between our rubber and the road is a grace to us.

Maybe those of us sitting on the ground floor right now need to let some disappointments and broken dreams finally rest in peace — a failed attempt to land a record deal, to score a book deal, or just to be a bigger deal. We are mortal, and it’s time we embraced what is good and good for us as God’s children. 

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah‬ ‭6‬:‭8,‬ ‭NIV)‬‬

Justice. Mercy. Humility.

Right now, we need a tidal wave of all three. I can think of nothing better to combat Christian celebrity culture than acting, loving, and walking this way. God, help us!