Our History & Beliefs

Our church exists to help you see and embrace Jesus Christ in all 168 hours of the week (rather than just one hour during a church service).

At Paradox, every person is invited to be their authentic selves.

Back in 2016, a small, but dedicated, group of friends started Paradox Church with a shared hope: to create a church with arms wide open to inclusion, minds wide open to intellect, and hearts wide open to compassion.

In 2018, Paradox became the second open and affirming church in Redlands. Since then, we have joyfully officiated multiple queer weddings and continue to celebrate love in all its beautiful forms.

A few years later, in 2022, we completed a nine-year,-sixty-six-part sermon journey through every book of the Bible — a journey that began even before Paradox officially existed as a church. We loved it so much that in November 2024, we began the journey again, stepping back into the Scriptures with fresh eyes, open hearts, and new questions.

Today, our community continues to cherish both ancient traditions of Christianity and the modern movement of the Holy Spirit— calling us into new realities, deeper love, and more expansive understanding every day. This ongoing exploration of both tradition and transformation is just one of the reasons we call ourselves Paradox.

Paradox Church is a LGBTQ Affirming Church in Redlands, CA

⸺ Discover Paradox

Core Beliefs

At the heart of our community lies a foundation built on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His teachings, principles, and way of life guide our actions, shape our teachings, and inspire us to become more loving people.

Jesus Christ
To love God and love others.
Church, Scripture, and Prayer
The practices help us learn how to love others and love God in the best way possible. The three practices are subservient to the two commandments and the one core belief. The two commandments are given to us by our core belief, Jesus Christ. At no point should the practices be more important than the two commandments or one core belief.

⸺ our mission

To see and embrace Jesus Christ in all

⸺ Curious about what makes Paradox unique?

Church Values

Affirming LGBTQ+

At Paradox, we fully affirm and celebrate the image of God in all queer persons. We officiate queer weddings, ordain queer clergy, baptize queer folks, and welcome people to serve in every level of leadership at our church with full appreciation of their gender identity and/or sexual orientation.
Read the Full Elders' Statement Here

Fighting Racism

At Paradox, we believe every person’s culture and religion is a unique and irreplaceable testament to the Divine. We invite speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds to teach us about God from the wisdom of their own sacred traditions, beautiful histories, and personal experiences.
Read the Full Elders' Statement Here

Empowering Women

At Paradox, we strive to empower and celebrate women. Half of our Elder board is female (including our Head Elder), we ordain female pastors, we believe the feminine perspective is necessary to understand the divine, and we frequently use feminine pronouns to describe our infinite Creator.
Read the Full Elders' Statement Here

Paradox Church Timeline

⸺ January 30, 2016: Paradox Church is Officially Incorporated

Paradox Church is Officially Incorporated in the Scofield’s living room.

⸺ February 20, 2016: First Church Service

Paradox Holds First Church Service at Mission Gables Bowl House in Redlands.

⸺ March 25, 2016: Doubt Night

Hosted Doubt Night, a night where we discussed and embraced our doubts openly with one another.

⸺ March 27, 2016: First Easter Sunrise Service

First Easter Sunrise Service at Appleton Ranch, we have gone to Appleton Ranch for Easter every year since.

⸺ May 21, 2016: First Female Speaker

First Female Speaker Gives the Sermon at Paradox.

⸺ November, 2016: Family Service Food Drive

Participated in Redlands Family Service Food Drive, we have participated in this event to provide food for families in need every year since.

⸺ January, 2017: Kim Carter Sermon

Kim Carter, from the Time for Change Foundation, Gives the Sermon at Paradox. Kim was recognized as a CNN Hero in 2016.

⸺ March, 2017: Lemonade and Song of Solomon

Paradox Combines Beyoncé’s Lemonade with the Writings of Song of Solomon to Speak out against Racism and Sexism.

⸺ June 17, 2017: Propaganda Performs

Celebrated Poet and Musician, Propaganda, Performs and Gives the Sermon at Paradox.

⸺ September 9, 2017: First Openly Queer Speaker

First Openly Queer Speaker Gives the Sermon at Paradox.

⸺ July 14, 2018: Peter Rollins Sermon

Acclaimed Author and Philosopher, Peter Rollins, Gives the Sermon at Paradox.

⸺ August 4, 2018: First Paradox Pride Service

During this service, the Elders committed the church to become a fully open and affirming church for all queer persons.

⸺ June, 2019: First Openly Trans Speaker

First Openly Trans Speaker Gives the Sermon at Paradox.

⸺ August, 2019: Women’s Empowerment Service

During this service, the Elders committed the church to become a community where women are celebrated and empowered.

⸺ November, 2019: First Queer Wedding Officiated

Pastor Craig, as an Ordained Minister of Paradox Church, Officiates His First Queer Wedding.

⸺ February, 2020: Paradox after Dark

First Paradox after Dark Service, a night when we openly discussed healthy sexuality and gender identity in an uncensored and uplifting conversation.

⸺ April, 2020: Good Friday Service

Participated in Good Friday with Seven other Mainline Churches in Redlands, Paradox has participated in this service every year since.

⸺ August, 2020: Anti-Racism Service

First Anti-Racism Service. During this service, the Elders committed the church to prioritize anti-racism and to actively work to bring about racial equality.

⸺ May 1, 2021: In-Person Services Resume

After Sixty Weeks of Meeting Virtually Due to the Pandemic, Paradox Returns to Holding In-Person Church Services.

⸺ June, 2022: Speech against Gun Violence

Pastor Craig speaks out against gun violence at the Redlands March for Our Lives Rally on Behalf of Paradox.

⸺ July, 2022: Biblical Contradictions Film Series

Paradox Church Releases a Seven-Part Film Series on How to Process Biblical Contradictions in a Healthy Way.

⸺ August, 2022: Spiritual Deconstruction

Paradox Combines Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour with 1 Thessalonians to Talk about Spiritual Deconstruction.

⸺ September, 2022: Nine-Year Sermon Series Conclusion

Paradox Completes a Nine-Year Sermon Series through Every Book of the Bible.

⸺ June, 2023: Hunger Walk Participation

Paradox Participates in Redlands Family Service Association’s Hunger Walk.

⸺ October, 2023: The Era of Queens

Paradox Brings the Stories of David’s Wives to Life in Our Series, “The Era of Queens,” combining them with three albums from Taylor Swift.

⸺ March, 2024: Combining Coldplay and Jesus’ Teachings

Paradox Combines Coldplay’s Ghost Stories with Jesus’ Difficult Teaching in Mark 10 to Speak about Hope, Love, and Beauty in Marriage and after Divorce.

⸺ April, 2024: Pastor Craig Receives Award

Pastor Craig receives Nancy Varner Award from Time for Change Foundation and then Dedicates the Award to the People of Paradox Church.

⸺ December, 2024: Helping Teenagers in Need

Paradox Church raises funds to provide THIRTY-THREE pairs of brand new shoes for unhoused and underprivileged teenagers in the Redlands area.

⸺ February, 2025: Sexuality Statement

The Elders unanimously approve this statement of sex positivity, establishing consent (rather than abstinence) as the highest sexual ethic.

⸺ June, 2025: Open Letter to RUSD School Board

Eight pastors from eight churches (including our own) stand together to implore the local school board to protect and affirm queer students.

⸺ September, 2025: Immigration Outreach

Our Outreach Team assembled care packages for immigrant families during this difficult season and donated 50 care packages!

⸺ October, 2025: What It Means to be a Man Service

During this special service, featuring perspectives from six men and music written by Blink 182, we discussed the idea of healthy masculinity in the year 2025.