The Fall of Malayalam TV

 The TV Media in Kerala: A Stocktaking

Philipose Vaidyar

From Trust to Collapse

This reflection is not about all media channels—some still maintain integrity—but about the troubling trend seen in many. 

From Trust to Collapse
There was a time when people in Kerala trusted whatever came from the TV screen. The anchor’s words were treated as truth. That trust slowly eroded and has now collapsed. Instead of informing people about national progress, pressing issues, or real crises, much of today’s media has turned into a weapon, targeting individuals, stoning them in the public square, and taking satisfaction in their downfall.

A Necessary Disclaimer
This is not a blanket statement about all media channels. There are still professionals and institutions that uphold truth and fairness. However, the concern here is about the majority trend that has shaped public perception and eroded trust.

A Circus of Repetition

Kerala’s TV channels also suffer from a strange disease: repetition. A newsreader introduces a story, then calls in “Mr. X from the International Desk.” The so-called “international desk” often sits in the next room, repeating the same lines. The anchor then sums it up again, repeating everything for the third time. A video backdrop runs on a loop. What a mockery of news! What a scarcity of real stories!

Anchors, Owners, and Agendas

Behind the flashy sets are anchors and owners who often act like puppeteers, pushing personal or political agendas. Field reporters who capture real stories are reduced to errand-runners for their bosses. Ratings, not truth, is the goal. Sex scandals, rumors, murders, and suicides become bait. If one channel runs rubbish, all others repeat it. That’s the schedule.

The Competition of Sensationalism

Under the banner of “freedom of speech,” Kerala’s TV media has fallen into a cutthroat ratings race. A truck falls into a river in Karnataka—suddenly, every channel is there, running endless live coverage, each claiming to be “first.” Meanwhile, Kerala’s own issues vanish. Then come fake murder stories near a pilgrimage center, spread with equal energy. Recently, a young political leader was dragged into a so-called scandal—without evidence, without victims, only fabricated tales. Facts don’t matter. Gossip rules.

When Debate Becomes Theatre

Instead of shaping society’s thinking, these channels serve vested interests and cheap publicity. Their “debates” are shouting matches with planted voices. Their “breaking news” is a rumor dressed up as fact. They scream lies and call it freedom. This is not journalism. This is theatre—dangerous, destructive theatre.

Credibility Lost, Credibility Found Elsewhere

Ironically, many independent YouTube commentators today provide more reliable analysis than these media giants. Yet, even they are mocked and smeared by the same channels that thrive on slander. In the name of “24/7 news,” we only get endless noise, gossip, and distortion.

The State of the Profession

For many, media is just another job—or at best, a better job. To survive in the field, anchors are willing to move from channel to channel, becoming tools in the hands of political interests or creating sensational gossip rather than presenting news, all to increase ratings and boost turnover. In this cut-throat competition, morality is forgotten, ethics bypassed, and truth and justice ignored. Some qualified people have even left stable careers to join the mini screen, chasing recognition or personal satisfaction. A few among them continue to struggle, trying to remain decent, truthful, and loyal in a space that demands compromise at every turn.

When the Public Strikes Back

People are no longer silent. On Facebook and other platforms, ordinary citizens now speak up against the endless conspiracies and gossip that tarnish reputations. The truth is, journalism should expose corruption, investigate scams, and challenge power. But when the media becomes a factory of gossip and slander, it betrays its purpose. If channels fail to see this, people will block them—on TV and on social media.

Time for Public Action

The public must act. At the very least, we can block and unsubscribe. Because these channels do not care about the poor, the unemployed, students, or families. They are not interested in development or truth. Every program—whether “News Hour,” “Debate,” or “Perspective”—is designed to sensationalize garbage.

The Final Word

Kerala needs better journalism. Journalism that informs, builds, and uplifts—not the circus we see today.  Kerala deserves news, not noise.

So here’s the question: Will we keep tolerating this imitation, or will we finally demand the media we deserve? 

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Living Between the Testaments

The Patchwork Gospel 

Half in Moses, Half in Christ

Philipose Vaidyar

Have you noticed how many denominational churches operate like shuttle buses—running back and forth between the Old and New Testaments, stopping only at the verses that suit them?
They talk, teach, and impose faith or practices not necessarily to equip believers, but often to sustain their own power, leadership, or identity.

Depending on their orientation, they choose what seems right in their eyes. In the same book—whether Old or New Testament—they bypass some regulations and hold on to others that serve their convenience.

Old Cloth, New Patch – Old Wine, New Wineskins

Jesus clearly said He fulfilled the Old Covenant and called us into His New Covenant (Matthew 5:17; Luke 22:20). He even warned us not to stitch old cloth with the new or pour old wine into new wineskins (Mark 2:21-22). Yet many still try to mix them.

• Sacrificial laws? Completely ignored—because Christ Himself became the perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12).
• Tithing? That one is highlighted, preached, and demanded. But the release of debts, which was part of the same Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 15:1–2), is conveniently forgotten.
• Baptism? Preached strongly on believers’ baptism. But believers’ responsibility to love their neighbors and care for the poor (James 1:27) is rarely emphasized.
• Harvest festival? Celebrated. Other Old Testament festivals? Forgotten.

Water baptism is upheld as the greatest command for new believers from nominal Christian backgrounds. But what did Jesus say was truly the greatest command? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). Those commandments are often painted on church walls but rarely preached or explained from the pulpit—perhaps because they are too simple, without any mystery to exploit!

Tithing from the Old Testament is imposed on poor believers, but to whom does the pastor tithe? Forgiving debtors and releasing financial burdens (Deuteronomy 15:1–2) is never spoken about. What a convenient, selective theology!

Some pastors insist on giving one-tenth. Some priests even demand at least half of one-tenth. But here’s the biblical contrast: the New Testament never commands tithing. Instead, the apostles encouraged giving according to one’s decision, not as a fixed percentage. “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Paul also instructed, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Giving in the New Testament was voluntary, Spirit-led, and cheerful—not a tax.

Meanwhile, Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount—His radical commandments about love, mercy, holiness, and forgiveness (Matthew 5–7)—rarely make it into weekly sermons. Jesus never organized fundraisers, nor did He teach extensively on giving money. He simply commended the widow’s offering (Mark 12:41–44) but never demanded money from His followers. So why do wealth-oriented pastors run to Malachi 3:10 to justify endless teaching on tithing?

Pick-and-Choose Theology

One popular theme is preached again and again: “We are justified by faith alone. Just believe, and heaven is yours.”
But another verse—“Without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14)—is skipped over.

Acts 2 is quoted often, but the following chapters are conveniently ignored.

Justification is only the beginning of the believer’s journey—sins forgiven through Christ. But what about the spiritual walk that follows? What about maturity, fruit-bearing, and Christlikeness (Galatians 5:22-23)? How many pastors preach righteousness, sanctification, and glorification—not just the historical moment of repentance?

Consider Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:9-24. He believed, was baptized, and enjoyed fellowship with the apostles. Yet later, Peter rebuked him sharply because his heart was not right before God. How often do churches address such realities?

Which pastor truly wants to live like Jesus lived—in humility, sacrifice, and holiness?

The Tongues Debate

Acts 2 describes the day of Pentecost:

• People spoke.
• People of many nations heard them in their own languages.

Tongues meant “languages,” not a private performance of sounds or the play of words. Yet in many Pentecostal circles, speaking in tongues has been made the ultimate sign of the Holy Spirit. This has led to confusion and even counterfeit displays in the name of “spirits.”

Here’s the paradox: they emphasize tongues but ignore the sharing of possessions, which is in the same chapter.

• “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” (Acts 2:44-45).
• “No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything… they brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need” (Acts 4:32-35).

Today’s churches dismiss this as “impractical.” But tongues? That’s still heavily promoted.

The early church endured hardship, persecution, and suffering (Acts 5:41; 2 Timothy 3:12). But self-appointed pastors today rarely talk about suffering. Instead, they preach financial gain, better jobs, prosperity, and wealth. According to them, God wants you to drive not just a car, but the best car! God wants to take you to the wealthiest countries. Villages in India? Never part of the “promised land.”

They twist Old Testament covenant promises to preach a prosperity gospel. If someone succeeds in migrating abroad, the pastor takes credit as if his prayers caused it. If you prosper, your blessing is his marketing.

Some even prophesy about witchcraft in your house, chicken heads buried in your compound, or other sensational claims—so they can claim authority to “break your curse.” All this is a wrong gospel of fear and money.

The Luxury Gap

Why avoid common sharing? Because if they practiced it, pastors could no longer buy luxury cars or build mansions. They would have to live like the other members, receiving only what they need.

Imagine this:

• A church of 100 families. Average income: ₹30,000 per family. Total: ₹30 lakhs.

If members tithe, the pastor could easily collect ₹3,00,000 every month. Members survive on ₹27,000, while the pastor enjoys ₹3,00,000—ten times more—driving a better car, living in a bigger house, and traveling to places in comfort. This is not rare. It has become the norm. Independent pastors who crown themselves “apostles” take it even further.

The Real Paradox

So here we are—

• Tongues? Yes.
• Sharing everything in common? No.
• Tithes? Yes.
• Freewill, Spirit-led giving? Rare.
• Faith? Yes.
• Holiness? Silence.
• Great Commission? Yes.
• Deeds of righteousness? Rarely.

How many pastors truly teach their members how to read, meditate on, and study the Word of God? Instead, many carry the attitude: “God speaks to me, and I will explain His Word and will to you.” Members are made dependent on their pastor’s supposed revelations rather than being equipped to listen to God themselves.

So we have prophets who talk about hidden “mysteries” (marmmam), as if God’s will is a secret only they can reveal. But the true mystery hidden for ages was Christ Himself—now revealed to all (Colossians 1:26-27). Yet such pastors flourish, and their gatherings grow.

Conclusion

The early church lived out radical faith: sharing, serving, suffering, and sacrificing. Today, many churches live out selective faith: picking, choosing, and bypassing.

The paradox is clear: the verses that cost us nothing are preached loudly, but the ones that demand humility, sacrifice, or accountability are quietly left out.

The real question we must ask: Are we living in the New Covenant Jesus gave us—or just between the testaments, patching old and new together for our own comfort?

To Be Continued… 

These confusions are not ends in themselves; they are meant to stir reflection and move us toward action. This is not the conclusion, only a pause. In the next post, I hope to pick up from here and explore possible steps we can take—personally and together—to live more faithfully in the light of the New Covenant.

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See the New Release, Trekking the Tribal Trail Click Here 

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A Shortage of Sense

 The Land Where Common Sense Is in Short Supply

Two teams. One battlefield. A magical beast called AI. What happens when one side keeps bloating scrolls and the other keeps butchering them? Read on—this is not fiction, it’s today’s work culture dressed as a fable.

In the Land of Reports, two teams worked very hard to cancel each other out.

The Writers sat in the field, armed with AI, pouring out pages and pages of words. They believed the thicker the file, the smarter they looked. If a project needed 10 pages, they happily wrote 100. After all, more words meant more wisdom, right?

Then the Editors, sitting at their desks, got the swollen files. Their job? Chop, slice, and squeeze the 100 pages back into 10. They proudly called it “precision work,” though most of it was just cleaning up the mess the Writers had created in the first place.

And so, the Writers wasted time making too much, and the Editors wasted time cutting too much. Everyone clapped for their “hard work,” even though both sides were undoing each other’s effort.

One day, a common man asked:

“If the Writers can tell the AI to keep it short, why don’t they? And if the Editors are only fixing the language, why not just fix it and leave it? Why are we wasting time at both ends?”

Of course, nobody answered. The Writers went back to over-writing, the Editors went back to over-cutting, and the circus went on—proving that in the Land of Reports, common sense was the only thing in short supply.

 

For those who are too comfortable with AI, the story is retold here….Below

     The Tale of the Great Content Tug-of-War

Once upon a time, in the bustling Kingdom of Content, two guilds ruled the land: the Writers of Infinite Words and the Editors of Infinite Cuts.

The Writers had recently discovered a magical beast called AI. With a single click, they could summon 10,000 words before finishing their morning chai. They didn’t worry about focus or clarity—why bother, when the beast was happy to keep talking forever? Reports, research papers, field notes—each document was long enough to qualify as an encyclopedia entry, complete with side stories, footnotes, and philosophical detours.

Then came the Editors, the noble warriors with their swords of Precision and shields of Conciseness. They would look at the bloated scrolls from the Writers, sigh dramatically, and begin hacking. “Unnecessary! Repetition! Rambling!” They shouted as words fell like autumn leaves. By the end, what once was 30 pages of "context" became three neat paragraphs and a pie chart.

This cycle continued day and night: Writers overfed the beast, Editors starved the scrolls. Writers wept: “Our brilliance is butchered!” Editors fumed: “Our lives are wasted trimming fat!” The King of Content scratched his head and wondered aloud:

“Why don’t the Writers just ask the magical beast to be concise from the beginning? Or why don’t the Editors simply fix the language and leave the extra words alone? Must we really waste energy at both ends, pretending this tug-of-war is productivity?”

But of course, no one listened. The Writers continued to inflate, the Editors continued to deflate, and the Kingdom of Content lived happily ever after in the eternal game of Write Too Much vs. Cut Too Hard.

 “Two teams. One battlefield. A magical beast called AI. What happens when one side keeps bloating scrolls and the other keeps butchering them? Read on—this is not fiction, it’s today’s work culture dressed as a fable.”

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See the New Release, Trekking the Tribal Trail Click Here 

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MISSING FROM THE PEW

The Vanishing Youth from Our Congregations

Philipose Vaidyar 

🎙

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." – Hosea 4:6

Why do Some Christian Youth Leave the Faith and Enter Interfaith Relationships?  What are the Root Causes and a Redemptive Response? (My previous post: Why do Children Fail ... : https://pvarticles.blogspot.com/2025/01/who-fails-parents-or-children.html )

The Concern

Across denominations—whether evangelical, Pentecostal, or episcopal—families are increasingly facing a painful and confusing reality: young people who were raised in Christian homes are walking away from the faith. Often, this takes the form of entering romantic or marital relationships with non-Christian partners—not just Muslims, but individuals from various other religions or belief systems.

One hears of a boy from an aristocratic Christian family who maintained a school friendship with a girl from a non-Christian background, eventually leading to a relationship despite clear incompatibility in faith and values. In another case, a young Christian man marries a non-believing partner from another religion, leaving his parents to face difficulties in maintaining fellowship with the church and navigating family tensions.

But more than boys, many girls from strong churchgoing and faith-filled families have run away from their hostels or homes, forming surprising relationships with boys from other religious backgrounds. Parents are left shocked, their hopes shattered, and their lives emotionally broken, struggling to understand where things went wrong.

These situations may look like personal or emotional choices, but they reflect deeper cracks in spiritual formation, relational mentoring, and leadership engagement within the church community. Whether driven by emotional vulnerability, social pressure, or a lack of grounding in biblical truth, the issue demands a thoughtful, pastoral, and community-wide response.

Understanding the Roots

·       Shallow faith foundations: Many children grow up with Christian rituals but without a deep relationship with Christ.

·       Poor mentoring: No safe, trusted young mentors to walk with them through doubts, relationships, or personal struggles.

·       Over-controlling environments: Fear-based parenting and church cultures often suppress honest conversations.

·       Neglect of inner formation: Churches emphasize behavior over belief, and performance over transformation.

·       Clericalism in leadership: Many clergy—be they presbyters, pastors, or bishops—assume they are the sole experts and solution-givers in the congregation, leaving no room for lay voices, professionals, or lived experience.

Solutions That Go Beyond the Pulpit

1. Train a Generation of Lay Mentors

We must identify spiritually mature young adults and model families to serve as relational mentors.

·       These people—not just pastors—should be equipped as friendly counselors, walking with youth and children in everyday life.

·       Start a Training of Trainers (TOT) model in the church, where laypeople are empowered to counsel, guide, and mentor based on Scripture, empathy, and lived experience.

·       These could include Christian counselors, youth workers, godly couples, or even professionals like teachers and social workers with a heart for mentoring.

2. Subtly Orient Children Early in Life

Start early, but not with fear-based messaging. Help children understand who they are in Christ and how to respond to life’s challenges with discernment.”.

·       Teach Christ-centered identity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

·       Introduce conversations on boundaries, media influence, interfaith interactions, and personal value gently but firmly.

·       Use storytelling, testimony, and role models—not just sermons.

3. Addressing the Leadership Myth in Clergy-Driven Churches

In many episcopal or clergy-centered churches, there’s a silent assumption: “The bishop, presbyter, or pastor must have the answer to every issue.” This assumption is not just false—it’s dangerous.

Problems with this mindset:

·       It isolates the clergy, placing unrealistic pressure and often preventing them from acknowledging their own vulnerabilities.

·       It sidelines gifted laypeople who may have more real-life experience in counseling, family life, leadership, or youth mentoring.

·       It blocks the diversity of wisdom God has placed in the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12).

What needs to change:

·       Presbyters and pastors need to unlearn the myth that spiritual authority equals universal expertise.

·       Churches must intentionally invite mature lay voices to lead workshops, sessions, and mentoring programs.

·       Let model families, faithful couples, professionals, and trained youth take the stage alongside the clergy in retreats, seminars, and discipleship forums.

The cassock doesn’t make one immune to blind spots. God’s wisdom is not limited to the pulpit.

A Call to Rebuild the Church Family

Let’s stop treating the Church as a performance stage and rebuild it as a discipling family. We need:

·       Intentional mentoring models rooted in trust, Scripture, and accountability.

·       Clergy who are humble enough to share the stage and wise enough to empower others.

·       Parents and leaders who disciple, not just control.

·       Children who grow in identity, purpose, and discernment, knowing their value is rooted in Christ.

Takeaway

This isn’t about shifting blame. It’s about shifting focus—from controlling outcomes to cultivating hearts.  The goal is not to protect children from the world through fear, but to prepare them to face the world with faith, wisdom, and support.  

STOP PRESS!

Is the whole issue rooted in the church, or does it begin much earlier at home? While this article primarily focused on the church environment—its flawed theology, misplaced priorities, and misguided leadership—the intention was never to place all the blame solely there. In fact, we began this larger conversation by addressing the struggles between parents and children in a previous post: Who Fails—Parents or Children?. The heart of the issue lies in a dangerous assumption—that Sunday School, youth camps, and weekly sermons will take care of everything. However, faith isn't formed solely by programs. It is cultivated daily in the home, at the dining table, in quiet conversations, and through lived example.

When children take unexpected turns, we’re often surprised. But maybe the warning signs were there—just unseen, or worse, ignored. 

Let’s now turn the lens back to where faith is first meant to be formed: in the home. (in the next post)

My next post #3 : https://pvarticles.blogspot.com/2025/09/sparks-knocks-and-slamming-doors.html

https://sites.google.com/view/philipose-create 

See the New Release, Trekking the Tribal Trail Click Here 

My Focus on People Groups 

https://sites.google.com/view/focusonpeople