Last week, In Good Faith published part one of our interview with Rev. Brandan Robertson, prominent public theologian and Senior Communications Manager for Side With Love, the Organizing Strategy Team of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Read part one of our conversation before continuing below with part two below. Many thanks again to Brandan for being so generous with his time.

In Good Faith: Part of the work your new book, Queer and Christian, does is to make biblical scholarship accessible, especially scholarship surrounding the so-called “clobber passages” often used to harm or intimidate queer people. You give people clear tools to respond to many mistaken assertions, but you also try to ground us in a spirituality that lies beyond mere debate. Can you describe that compelling spiritual pull—what lies beyond the point-counterpoint discourse when it comes to false or painful assertions about the Bible and queer folk?

Rev. Brandan Robertson: Two things are true: First, when the Bible is read in light of its historical and cultural context, it never condemns loving, consensual same-sex relationships. Second, after more than a decade of debating traditionalist Christians, I’ve learned that arguments alone don’t change hearts and minds.

While understanding biblical scholarship is empowering for LGBTQ+ Christians, the real tool for transformation is empathy—sharing our stories, building relationships, and embodying our faith so that others can truly see us. That’s what changes people. This idea is deeply rooted in Christian theology itself: God became human in the person of Jesus to empathize with humanity. Those who follow Jesus are called to do the same. It’s a high and difficult calling, but it connects us to the Divine in profound ways and has real power to transform perspectives.

In Good Faith: In the introduction, you make the important point that “when we concede a book as influential as the Bible to those who would use it to justify narrow, exclusive, or fear-based theology, we… enable religious and political leaders to continue to manipulate billions.” To me, this says that the work you are doing in this text is not just about correcting misapprehensions—it is also about organizing communities to resist repression. How do you view your biblical studies as a tool for community resistance? Is this a natural link to your organizing work alongside the Organizing Strategy Team at the UUA?

Rev. Brandan Robertson For too long, progressives have shrugged and said, “The Bible is an archaic book with backward morals—just abandon it.” While there’s truth that some ancient teachings are morally reprehensible, that stance effectively concedes that conservative interpretations are correct. For millions of queer people worldwide, that leaves them trapped in anti-LGBTQ+ churches and even nations with no meaningful challenge to harmful rhetoric and policies justified “by the Bible.”

At its core, the Bible is an ancient text written by oppressed people longing for liberation—not a book for the powerful. When we give it up, we hand immense moral and spiritual power to those who weaponize it. Biblical scholarship helps us recover the intention and context of Scripture, revealing how it can serve as a balm and a spark for oppressed people to organize, heal, and fight for liberation.

Reclaiming the Bible is an act of resistance. In my work at OST, I’m grounded in my convictions as a Christian pastor and scholar—but I also make sure the Christian voice isn’t the primary one centered. UU spaces represent a rich diversity of faiths, and in a moment of rising Christian nationalism, it’s vital to uplift other spiritual and moral voices that can challenge those using religion to undermine democracy.