Rev. Brandon Robertson tells stories about his life and about what faith in America is and could be. He tells stories about his own tradition as a progressive Christian and about our historic faith as Unitarian Universalists (UU). Each story weaves its way into a larger narrative to which he commits himself again and again on Tik Tok, in public forums and in the 10 books he has published, including his heartfelt and deeply approachable newest title, Queer & Christian: Reclaiming the Bible, Our Faith, and Our Place at the Table. Recently named by Out Magazine as one of 2025’s 100 most impactful and influential LGBTQ+ people, he recently chatted with In Good Faith about these stories he is so committed to telling and his meaningful work with the UUA. 

Brandan is an acclaimed author, activist, and public theologian working at the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, and social renewal. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and graduate of the Moody Bible Institute and Iliff School of Theology, he serves as Pastor of Sunnyside Reformed Church in New York City. Widely known as the “TikTok Pastor,” Robertson reaches nearly 400,000 followers and over 10 million viewers worldwide with his accessible, inclusive theological reflections. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Biblical Studies at Drew University.

In Good Faith: First, could you just tell us in your own words what your role at the UUA and in the Organizing Strategy Team is?

Rev. Brandan Robertson: I’m the Senior Communications Manager for Side With Love, the Organizing Strategy Team of the Unitarian Universalist Association. In this role, I lead a team of incredible communications experts to share both the ongoing work of Side With Love and to “meet the moment” with urgent and prophetic messaging from a UU perspective. Our goal is to ground, empower, and equip UUs across the country to be a witness for love and justice in their communities—especially in these turbulent times.

In Good Faith: You have a powerful and personal relationship with Jesus, especially as a figure who served from within bell hooks’ definition of queerness as “being at odds with everything around it.” How has your relationship with Jesus changed in recent years? Do you see yourself, or other people, reflected in Jesus in a new way given the current political landscape?

Rev. Brandan Robertson: I view Jesus as a prophetic, socio-spiritual revolutionary. From a biblical scholarship perspective, I don’t think there’s much debate that this is who he was—though in many traditional Christian contexts, he’s been turned into a figure to be worshiped rather than an example to follow. I also believe he was undeniably queer—from the way he embodied gender in the first-century Jewish world to the way he lived out his faith and social mission.

Jesus constantly challenged the status quo, pushed back against burdensome traditions, and confronted empire—not through force, but by organizing marginalized people to engage in subversive acts of love. He remains an inspiration to me, especially now, because his prophetic, queer bravery is precisely what I believe all of us—regardless of religion—are called to embody in this moment.

That wasn’t always my view. My own coming-out journey put me at odds with my evangelical community and drew me deeper into biblical scholarship and queer theology—both of which saved me from the trauma of religious rejection. They reminded me that Jesus was never found in the institutions of power and privilege, but among the outsiders, heretics, and all those who didn’t fit in.

In Good Faith: In your own Christian faith journey, you return to 1 John 4:18, which says that “perfect love casts out fear.” In Unitarian Universalism, we place love at the center of our value system. How do you see that centrality of love acting as a tonic or response to the fear around us, either in your Christian faith or in Unitarian Universalism?

Rev. Brandan Robertson: My entire spirituality can be summed up as “Love over fear,” drawn directly from 1 John. Fear is a powerful tool—it paralyzes, demonizes, and divides. Much of conservative Christianity is built on fear-based theology: effective for control, but powerless for liberation.

1 John teaches that wherever fear exists, God is not—because God’s nature is love, and love casts out fear. Of course, fear is also a natural human response in terrifying times. But the way we overcome those who weaponize fear is by channeling love—not as a sentimental feeling, but as a radical action rooted in care, compassion, and courage.

Love speaks truth in an age of lies, softens hearts hardened by cynicism, and gives us the strength to believe that a more just and equal world is possible—if we keep hope alive and keep pushing forward together.

Part Two: Read part two of our conversation with Rev. Brandan Robertson here.