Paradox Redlands Podcast

Paradox Redlands
  • 4.9 (29)
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Updated Biweekly

Paradox Church discusses humanity, beauty, love, laments, God, absence, and Christianity

  1. Aug 10

    Being, Believing, and Becoming

    Kathy Lin gave this sermon at Paradox on Saturday, August 8, 2026.

  2. Aug 1

    A Guide to Living with God | 1 John 4:7

    Here is an engaging, SEO-friendly episode description designed to capture listeners' attention, boost searchability, and encourage engagement. Ready-to-Use Episode Description What does it truly mean to walk with God in our everyday lives? In this episode of the Paradox Redlands Podcast, we dive into 1 John 4:7—a foundational passage that reveals how genuine love is the heartbeat of a life connected to God. Whether you are navigating faith for the first time or looking for a deeper spiritual renewal, this conversation offers a practical, grounded guide to aligning your daily life with God's character. What You’ll Discover in This Episode: The Origin of Real Love: Why 1 John 4:7 defines love not as a fleeting emotion, but as an active reflection of God’s nature. Practical Discipleship: Actionable ways to practice selfless, authentic love in your relationships, workplace, and community. Overcoming Spiritual Disconnect: How to recognize barriers to spiritual growth and return to the simplicity of loving God and loving others. Scripture Focus "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." — 1 John 4:7 Connect & Support Enjoyed the episode? Please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share this episode with a friend who needs encouragement today! Join the Paradox Community: Connect with us in Redlands, CA, or follow along online for weekly teachings and conversations.

  3. Jul 26

    A Guide to Living with Religion

    Does your faith feel like a system of control, or does it inspire wonder? In this continuation of our series in 1 John, we explore what it really means to "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1) in a modern world. Without critique, religion can quickly become idolatry. We dive into the dangers of a strict "binary" worldview, what the horror movie Heretic gets right about toxic religion, and why healthy faith requires us to embrace paradox and mystery. If you've ever felt like God is infinitely bigger than the "bucket" of organized religion, this message is for you.

  4. Jul 19

    A Guide to Living with Sin

    What if everything you were taught about sin was designed to keep you ashamed, not free? In part 2 of our series on 1st John, we dig into a word that shows up 27 times in this short letter: hamartia — sin. The author of 1st John claims believers can rise above sin entirely, a claim that helped split the early church in two. This week we ask what sin actually is, trace 2,000 years of atonement theology from Origen to Anselm to the Reformers, and land on a healthier, more honest way to hold our own imperfection — without losing sight of who we really are: children of God, not sinners first.

  5. Jul 12

    A Guide to Living With the Antichrist

    What if the "Antichrist" isn't a mysterious end-times villain — but someone your church just had a falling out with? In this opening message of our series on 1st John, Pastor Craig dives into the strange, drama-filled origin story behind one of the Bible's most feared words. Written by a small church community in ancient Turkey around 105 CE, 1st John claims to be a letter all about love — yet it labels former members as "Antichrist." So what really happened? And what does this 2,000-year-old church conflict have to teach us about handling disagreement, heartbreak, and division in our own relationships today?

  6. Jul 4

    Paradox Unscripted

    This happened on July 4, 2026 at Paradox. Craig has not seen these questions ahead of time.

  7. Jun 27

    Pride & Penitence

    What if your disability isn't a punishment — and the healing you need isn't a cure? As Paradox wraps up its Pride series, guest speaker Christian Barrera-Sandri brings a deeply personal message connecting Psalm 38's "penitent's plea for healing" to the overlapping experiences of queerness and disability. Drawing from his husband's 20-year journey with diabetes, his father's kidney transplant and ongoing fight for disability justice, and his own unexplained seizure episode, Christian challenges the idea that illness, disability, or queerness are signs of God's punishment — and points instead to what Jesus actually offers: not a magic cure, but a restored community. 🔑 What we cover: Psalm 38 and the ancient question: "Is this my fault?" John 9 and Matthew 9 — how Jesus responds to those seeking healing, and to a community that gatekeeps who's "worthy" of it Why queerness and disability are overlapping, not competing, spectrums of human experience HIV/AIDS as a present reality, not a relic of the past, in queer life and disability conversation Shalom: the Old Testament concept of healing as peace, justice, and belonging — not just physical cure Whether you're navigating a chronic illness, loving someone who is, or just rethinking what healing really means, this message invites you into a more honest, more compassionate picture of community. Paradox Church | Redlands, CA paradoxredlands.com | @paradoxredlands #PrideAndPenitence #Psalm38 #DisabilityTheology #PrideMonth #ParadoxChurch #FaithAndDisability #LGBTQFaith #ChristianSermon #Healing #Shalom #InclusiveChurch #RedlandsCA #SundaySermon #ChurchMessage

  8. Jun 22

    That the Works of God Might Be Seen in Them

    "Who sinned, this man or his parents?" That's the question that opens John 9 — and it's a question that still gets asked, in different words, about anyone whose body or identity doesn't fit the frameworks we're handed. In this guest message, Esther Loewen — a licensed marriage and family therapist and former pastor — walks through three places where the story of the man born blind in John 9 echoes her own experience, and the experience of many trans people today: being treated as a puzzle to solve rather than a person, the holiness of embodied transformation, and the demand to testify again and again before being believed. Esther shares pieces of her own transition story and ends with a question for the whole church to sit with: if God were doing something sacred in the life of a trans person, would you be able to see it? 🔑 Why John 9 "rhymes" with trans experience — from suspicion, to interrogation, to exclusion 🔑 The difference between Side A, Side B, and fully affirming approaches to LGBTQ+ people in the church 🔑 Why physical, embodied transformation can be an act of faith, not a failure of it 🔑 The role of personal testimony in Christian faith — and why it deserves to be heard before it's judged 🔑 The closing challenge of John 9: would you recognize the works of God if you saw them? Wherever you find yourself in this conversation, we invite you to listen with an open heart. This message is for anyone wrestling with identity, belonging, or what it means to be fully seen. Paradox Church | Redlands, CA paradoxredlands.com @paradoxredlands #JohnChapter9 #TransFaith #ParadoxChurch #RedlandsChurch #AffirmingChurch #LGBTQFaith #ChristianityAndGender #InclusiveChurch #FaithAndIdentity #ProgressiveChristianity #ChurchSermon #SeenByGod

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4.9
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

Paradox Church discusses humanity, beauty, love, laments, God, absence, and Christianity

Information

  • Creator
    Paradox Redlands
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2016 . All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Paradox Redlands Podcast

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