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In the Market with Janet Parshall
September 09, 2025
Hour 1: Atheists Finding God
In a Western culture of increasing skepticism towards conservative Christianity, what motivates intellectually driven atheists to believe in the reality of God and become passionate followers of Christ? A review of social science literature confirms a predominant functional approach to religious conversion, effectively reducing a complex, substantive phenomenon to a partial functional explanation. Today, Jana Harmon will take a broader look at religious conversion to determine the precursors and pathways from atheistic disbelief to belief in God and Christianity within an educated population. Many former atheists not only experienced a change in their worldview, but also a dramatic transformation of their ‘whole world.’
Hour 2: When God Is Silent
For Christians, one of our earliest lessons―and greatest gifts―is learning how to pray. And yet many of us believe our prayer lives fall short. Dr. John Koessler will reassure us that this has nothing to do with motivation or method. Our problems are relational, and recognizing this is the first step to having a better prayer life. Prayer is a conversation that moves primarily in one direction: from the believer who prays to the God who hears. If God appears silent, that does not mean that He is unresponsive. We always have God's attention. We are invited to gain a sense of God, of His goodness, and the rich welcome that is waiting for us every time we approach Him in the name of Jesus Christ.
IN THIS EPISODE
Jana Harmon
Jana Harmon hosts the Side B Stories podcast where former atheists and skeptics talk about their turn from disbelief to belief in God and Christianity. She is a teaching fellow for the C.S. Lewis Institute of Atlanta and former adjunct professor in cultural apologetics at Biola University where she received an MA in Christian apologetics. Jana also holds a PhD in Religion and Theology from the University of Birmingham in England. Her research focused on religious conversion of atheists to Christianity.
John Koessler
John Koessler is an award-winning author and retired faculty emeritus of pastoral studies of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. He writes monthly columns for Today in the Word and Mature Living Magazine. John is the author of When God is Silent, Dangerous Virtues, Practicing the Present, The Radical Pursuit of Rest , The Surprising Grace of Disappointment, Folly, Grace & Power: The Mysterious Act of Preaching, A Stranger in the House of God and served as general editor of The Moody Handbook of Preaching. John has written several other books and articles and serves as a contributing editor for the Moody Bible Institute publication Today in the Word. His podcast, A Stranger in the House of God can be heard on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
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Janet Parshall
Janet Parshall has been broadcasting from the nation's capital for over three decades. Her passion is to "equip the saints" through intelligent conversation based on biblical truth. When she is not behind her microphone, Janet is speaking across the country on issues impacting Christians. She has authored several books. Parshall and her husband, Craig, live in Virginia and have four children and six grandchildren.
