Prophetic TV to the Church? <i>CBS Christian Now</i> as an Insider Critic of Korean Protestantism

Little has been written on religious TV shows featuring groups that may be called critical insiders: those who are committed to a religious tradition, yet are critical of how the tradition is believed, taught and practised by dominant institutions. In the early 2010s in South Korea, where Protestantism is still most strongly present in East Asia, Protestant activists involved in critical insider movements and like-minded media workers in Christian Broadcasting System collaborated together to broadcast a talk show critiquing popular teachings, beliefs and practices in Korean Protestant Christianity. By analysing this show – CBS Christian Now – together with the interviews I conducted with those involved in the production of the show, I explore the meaning of the use of broadcast media for religiously motivated insider critique even in the age of interactive social media. As a case study that showcases such movements, this paper also illustrates the kinds of struggles the participants had gone through.