Michael Tait of dc Talk fame stepped in as the lead singer of the Newsboys in 2009. And on the week of the release of the rock group’s latest album, he said he and his five bandmates — including former frontman Peter Furler — are “men on a mission.”
In an interview with Faithwire, Tait encouraged Christians “to use any means necessary … to wage the war, which we are in.” Music, he said, is the “tool” the Newsboys are using to engage in that fight.
“We don’t have it all together,” he said, “but we are men on a mission. We falter, but we believe God’s not dead and we stand behind it and we’re gonna preach it until we croak.”
The group is putting their money where their mouths are with their latest record, “United,” which carries with it a double meaning: In addition to being a reuniting of sorts for the band’s past and present members, the album’s title is encouraging unity during a divisive time in American culture.
Furler, who stepped back from his lead role with the Newsboys in 2009 to take more of a behind-the-scenes position, said American culture “is divided.”
“We’ve got extremists on both sides of the aisle,” he said. “I think when Newsboys came together to do this, the word ‘united’ came up. It just seemed very poignant at this moment in time.”
The singer-songwriter said it’s “ultimately” up to God to make judgements, arguing how people choose to live their lives is “none of my business.”
Furler also encouraged the church to “get better” at preaching the love of the Gospel.
“Our mission is to go out to the world and preach the Gospel with love,” he said. “I think if the church got better at it, a lot more people would be attracted to our faith.”
But even if we preach the truth in love, Tait pointed out, the Bible promises Christians will face opposition in this world, referencing 2 Timothy 3:12, which declares, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
“There’s no doubt about it,” Tait said.
The new album, “United,” is available now on iTunes or wherever you purchase your music.