A Rabbi Reviews Janet Parshall's Evangelical Radio

The media and academia complain a lot about “Christian nationalists,” an epithet used to demonize conservative Evangelicals. But I associate Evangelicals with a broadcast to which I occasionally listen while driving. Beamed two hours every weekday on Moody Radio, In The Market [referring to the marketplace of ideas] with Janet Parshall has impressed me, since I first chanced upon it, with its smart and probing panorama of Evangelical theology, Bible interpretation, concerns and values.

Janet Parshall is brilliant, well-read, enthusiastic and superbly articulate, as is her husband, Craig Parshall, Special Counsel to the American Center for Law and Justice, who joins her on Fridays to discuss current events “with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other,” to use a phrase which Janet deferentially borrows from Rev. Billy Graham.  

The program does not cushion its unyielding theological stances: inerrancy of Scripture, literal Satan and demons, rejection of Darwinism and of historical-critical biblical scholarship, opposition to views of gender and sexuality not regarded as biblical. But even for those frustrated or outright outraged by those stances, it is a thoughtful and valuable reminder that American political discourse must respectfully take into consideration Evangelical perspectives on theology and belief, personal struggles and global issues, society and government, law and morality.

I have researched several episodes and outline them here both for my own understanding and for others, as the world view of a spiritually and politically significant demographic. Hopefully, such understanding will lead to workable give-and-take rather than constant cultural warfare in American politics, in which all individuals and religious organizations have the same right to try to influence culture and legislation.

I provide in parentheses references to programs on particular topics. The interested reader can find them by clicking “Past Programs” on the website In the Market with Janet Parshall | Moody Radio, where they are kept for one year. Transcripts of the programs can be found on In the Market with Janet Parshall (podcast) - Moody Radio | Listen Notes (by titles of episodes), though, of course, radio is meant to be heard.

American Law and Culture

Janet and her guests demand that parents have a say in what is taught in the public schools (9-9-24, hr. 1) and in any medical or psychological attention to their children. (8-15-24, hr. 1) They insist on parents’ rights to home school from a religious perspective. They maintain that tax-payers and organizations and businesses should be able to decline participation in promoting or financing abortions (9-9-24, hr. 2) and that children should be allowed to opt out of sexually explicit curricula that run counter to parents’ religious convictions. (2-3-25, hr.1) They resist any restriction on the First Amendment rights of pastors and Christian counselors to freely share their beliefs and advice on all issues.

Occasionally, Janet’s daughter, Sarah Parshall Perry, an astute senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, joins her to discuss such issues as well as Title 9 cases, and to advocate for the rights of individuals and organizations to protest abortion and to question the safety of abortion pills.

Another notable guest is inspiring civil rights veteran, Robert Woodson, Sr. (10-7-24, hr. 1), who decries “profiteering” in government and other agencies that makes a “commodity out of poor and black people.” Woodson’s response to divisive, demeaning and expensive race-based school curricula is the record of success in the African American community, as he delineates in his book, Red, White and Black.

Janet often gives forum to ethicist Wesley Smith, who insightfully warns of the personal and social dangers of euthanasia and assisted suicide and the legal and moral absurdity of moral equivalency between human beings and animals (10-17-24, hr. 2), of “legal rights” for whales and rivers replacing sufficient conservation and animal welfare laws. (12-05-24, hr. 2; 1-9-25, hr.2)

Wary of an “intersection between bad theology and bad science” (and economics), Janet advocates practical medical and climate research methods that are open to debate. 

Judaism and the Jewish People

Judaism and the Jewish People are discussed frequently on the program, for Evangelicals believe that salvation comes through God’s promises to the Jewish People (John 4:22; Romans 11:11) even if Jews do not accept Jesus. While Janet believes that salvation comes only by belief in Jesus, and that it is the duty of Christians (“The Great Commission” of Matthew 28:18-20) to bring this news to all, including Jews, she and her guests insist that this must be done lovingly, and that anti-Semitism demonstrates the “spiritual warfare of Satan.” (11-15-24, hr. 2)

Janet maintains that the “idea that it was the Jews that killed Jesus just screams biblical ignorance….He knew that he was born to die. If anybody killed Jesus, I did. It’s my sins that took him to the cross. It wasn’t a people group that took him to the cross. It was my sin.”  (12-26-24, hr. 1)

Yes, I am troubled that Janet supports Jews for Jesus and other missionaries who attempt to lure Jews away from Judaism. For millennia, Christian missionaries have employed passages from the Tanach (Hebrew Bible) to try to convince Jews to accept Jesus as divine savior from sin. But “The Great Commission” is central to Evangelism, and in American society, religious dialogue and debate are aspects of the marketplace of ideas.  As Dr. Trude Weiss-Rosmarin, author of Judaism and Christianity: The Differences, insisted, Jews should know “what to answer” (if they choose to respond) when confronted with such tactics. Gerald Sigal’s The Jewish Response to Missionary Christianity: Why Jews Don’t Believe in Jesus analyzes biblical verses which have been appropriated in missionary interpretations wielded against Judaism.

Still, how can I as a Jew not find it touching that Evangelicals love the Hebrew Bible and embrace Hebrew Scriptures to bolster their faith, and are inspired by Scriptures to lead changed and exemplary lives? Can Evangelicals recognize the continuous biblically-mandated Oral Torah of Judaism which applies the teachings and laws of Moses and the later Prophets? What of biblical teachings that human beings have the God-given power to overcome sin (Gen. 4:7) and to achieve holiness by choosing to perform a mitzvah, a commandment or holy deed? (Deut. 10:12-13)

Guest Gerald McDermot said: “We don’t know what happened to Jews in other times who didn’t accept Jesus as savior. If the church told Jews they had to give up Torah and give up living as Jews, if they thought they were betraying the God of Israel and their sacred covenant—would God send them to hell? That’s a mystery we don’t know.” Does this observation, praised by Janet, leave open any path in Evangelical theology for the salvation of Jews who remain faithful, out of belief in abiding Divine faithfulness (emunah) and instruction (torah), to Sacred Covenant, the abandonment of which is biblically regarded as the gravest of sins? Janet and her guests do maintain that Jews remain special to God whether they accept Jesus or not. (5-28-24, hr. 1)

Israel and Her Would-Be Destroyers

Janet believes that the State of Israel holds a pivotal place in biblical eschatology or end-times, when, according to Christian scriptures, Jews would have to be re-established in the Holy Land before the second coming of Jesus, and that such return will entail tribulations and perdition for many Jews and others. But attention to Israel due to such prophecies has trained Janet and her guests to be more, not less, clear-minded about the Middle East.

Janet has always been staunchly supportive of Israel, especially since the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacres in Southern Israel. She has constantly expressed concern for the hostages and noted how Hamas has built hiding places in hospitals. She has revealed with guest Bill Gertz that Israel Defense Forces found large caches of Chinese weapons in Gaza, and leaders of Hamas have been trained in China, which regards Hamas as a tool to weaken the U.S. and the West. (10-15-24, hr. 2)

Janet and Craig have called attention to the constant missile attacks not only on Southern Israel, but on Northern Israel which, they noted, is “like a ghost town” following Hezbollah bombings from Lebanon. They are among the few in media who have censured Hezbollah for violating 2006 U.N. Resolution 1701 (9-25-24, hr. 2.), which required full cessation of rocket and other attacks upon Northern Israel from within Lebanon. Guest Tom Doyle pointed out that Hezbollah rearmed itself, building “literally fake mountains that are arsenals filled with weapons and rockets and missile launchers” near helpless Arab Lebanese civilians, who cheered when Hezbollah fighters were targeted by exploding pagers planted by Israel.

Janet and Craig have also expressed love and concern for Palestinians and for their rights, calling from the very beginning for Hamas and Hezbollah to put down their arms and for Hamas to release the hostages and thus end the war.

Janet, Craig and guests have warned for years that Iran has been attacking Israel on many fronts through proxies, and taking over countries, hoping to destroy Israel’s population and reputation by building tunnels and launching missiles near and under vulnerable Arab civilians. Charlie Dyer noted that Russia funds Iran, which has provided weapons for the war in Ukraine. (9-16-24) Bill Gertz traces China’s support of Iran in its attempts to weaken the United States by fomenting wars, distributing drugs like fentanyl, collecting information via TikTok and spending billions annually to influence U.S. politics, businesses, entertainment and universities. (10-15-24, hr. 2) Janet has been steadfast in exposing ongoing persecution of Christians in China, Iran and around the world.

Janet has been one of the few media personalities to emphasize repeatedly the desperation of the Iranian people. Her inside sources insist that many in Iran are converting to Christianity and that many more are hoping that the U.S. and Israel will save them from their fanatical leaders who, expecting their own ultimate overthrow, are sending spouses, children and money outside the country. (1-8-25, hr. 2) One must admire the courage of Evangelicals and Muslims who call for religious freedom in Iran even as there is a growing trend among the hard left, including Western churches, to glorify Iran as the “liberator” of nations whose populations are brutally controlled by its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.

As a good Evangelical, Janet believes that peace will come to the world only when everyone accepts Jesus (1-8-25, hr. 2) and following a time of war and tribulation.  Of course, there are differences of opinion among Evangelicals on aspects of the end-time and other theological issues. Yet integral to Janet’s influential approach is an utter rejection of historically insurgent and belligerent messianic movements, like Marxism and Communism. She advocates “watchful” hoping and waiting for the end-times, along with praying and laboring that America and its promise will thrive and endure through responsible policies and strategies until the ultimate redemption, the timing of which she leaves to God.

Checks and Balances

Janet is well-versed in legal cases and in the writings of the Founding Fathers. She and her guests, particularly her husband Craig, are qualified to discuss constitutional law, elections, presidential history, and the workings of American government, such as the Electoral College (which they favor out of fairness to smaller states); and they do so with erudition, appreciation and humility. 

Janet recently interviewed the baker who, after refusing on religious grounds to craft a cake for a gay wedding, has been continuously sued by the state and by individuals. (5-27-25, hr. 2) Her exploration of the complexities of these legal cases raises the question: How prevent targeting the rights of anyone, whether for religious views or for sexual orientation?

Evangelicals cannot be expected to compromise their beliefs, just as liberals insist on gay marriage, access to a safe abortions, and encouragement of sex change surgeries. Could American society reach workable ground rules if lawmakers avoided punitive state regulations against, for example, parents who oppose sex change operations for their minor children; or friends or physicians who arrange for out of state abortions for those intent on having them?

How foster governmental accommodation of different world views and mediate between the left and right within Christianity and, for that matter, within Judaism and other religions or secular communities?

Janet Parshall and her guests champion the rights of Evangelicals and other orthodox religionists to follow their conscience, and they do point to laws and protections that enable all Americans to advocate for their rights and causes. I would like to hear in detail their take on how the Constitution provides for these goals to be achieved with some consensus across religious and ideological lines. By what local and Federal ground rules can the marketplace of ideas be maintained as a viable, challenging and civil arena for what Janet describes as “agreeing disagreeably”?

The moral and spiritual concerns and the level of discourse on In The Market  demonstrate that Evangelicals are good for America and for the world. Can Americans recognize national treasures among even those with whom they strongly disagree?