Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | October 22, 2011
Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night (Jn. 3:2; 19:39). That is a fact which John records but without recording the reason for Nicodemus choosing the night. Why this ruler comes at night has intrigued commentators and common people alike. Is Nicodemus afraid (Jn. 19:38-39)? Is Nicodemus observing the Passover during the day (Jn.2:23)? Does Nicodemus […]
PHall | October 14, 2011
Sincerity in religion masks what the self wants. Every one of us has believed a lie. Most often it is because the lie is what we want to believe. This is true religiously or personally. “Do these pants make my….” Well, you know the rest of that story. Believing a lie can have disastrous results, […]
PHall | May 12, 2011
Why the Churches of Christ Were Right After All 07Mar My great grandfather and great grandmother Campbell were members of the Braxton Church of Christ in Cannon County, Tennessee, and after my great grandfather died and my great grandmother moved her three boys to Texas, she raised them in the South Park Church of Christ […]
PHall | February 12, 2011
Walking into this building is shocking for some; not so much by what is here – pews, classrooms, songbooks – but by what is not here. Notice I didn’t say, “by what is missing.” That would imply they belonged. So what is not here? Statues, Pianos, Kitchens & Gymnasiums. Nowadays, many churches of Christ have […]
PHall | December 12, 2010
Many years I received a call from the bank asking if I had recently been to Venezuela. Unfortunately I hadn’t because someone was having the best vacation I never had “in my name.” Somehow, a thief had stolen the number off of my debit card. This was, in a very real sense, extremely disconcerting, inconvenient, […]
PHall | November 30, 2010
While Gerizim “was right from the Samaritan’s perspective” Jesus says it was not from knowledge. There is more than one contrast being spoken of in this text. There is the contrast between what was and what now is, and a contrast between where the Jews worshiped and where the Samaritans worshiped. Therefore this is not […]
PHall | September 5, 2010
Is it possible to believe a lie? Is it dangerous to believe a lie? Can we die spiritually because we believe a lie? If anyone doubts the truth that Satan preaches lies, then they have not read the Bible with an honest heart. Jesus Himself denounces Satan as the father of lies (Jn.8:44). Jesus speaks […]
PHall | August 13, 2010
Is it possible to believe a lie? Is it dangerous to believe a lie? Can we die spiritually because we believe a lie? If anyone doubts the truth that Satan preaches lies, then they have not read the Bible with an honest heart. Jesus Himself denounces Satan as the father of lies (Jn.8:44). Jesus speaks […]
PHall | February 27, 2010
Sincere sins, how’s that for an oxymoron? Just because a sin is blatantly wrong, does not mean its motive is obviously mistaken. We can sincerely sin. That’s one of the paradoxes of sin. We assume wrongly that the means justifies the end. Romans 3:8 ESV And why not do evil that good may come?–as some […]
PHall | February 27, 2010
Ahh, baseball season. I love hearing the smack of a leather glove and the crack of the bat. What I do not love is an umpire making up his own rules. Used to be that the strike zone was defined and defended by the rule book. Now too many umps have their own strike zone. […]