REV. BRANDAN ROBERTSON
New York, New York 10019
BRobertson@Drew.edu
EDUCATION
Drew University, Madison, NJ
Doctor of Philosophy in Religion, In Progress est. 2027
The Institute for Clinical Pastoral Training, Clermont, FL
Clinical Pastoral Education Unit 1, 2024
The University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
German for Reading and Translation, 2023
Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL
Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration, 2021
Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO
Master of Theological Studies, 2017
Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Ministry & Biblical Studies, 2014
ORDINATION
Minister of Word and Sacrament in the United Church of Christ
Sunnyside Reformed Church. Queens, New York
October 28, 2024
Minister of Christ
Eastlake Community Church, Bothell, WA
November 2015
RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE
Sunnyside Reformed Church, Queens, NY
Pastor, 2023 - Present
Drew Theological School, Madison, NJ
Teaching Assistant, 2024-2025 (Course: Transforming Theologies)
Doctor of Ministry Program Coordinator, 2022 – 2023
The Lakelands Institute, Washington, DC
Faculty Member, 2021 – Present
The Bradbury Sullivan LGBTQ+ Community Center, Allentown, PA
Faith Organizer, 2021
The Metanoia Community, New York, NY
Executive Director and Pastor, 2017 – 2022
The Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC
Religion and Faith Program Contractor, 2021
Disciples Seminary Foundation, Claremont, CA
Virtual Course Instructor, 2018 – 2020
Missiongathering Christian Church, San Diego, CA
Senior Pastor, 2017 – 2020
Auburn Seminary, New York, NY
Program Facilitator, 2017 – 2020
San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Francisco, CA
Program Advisor, 2016 – 2019
San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Francisco, CA
Millennial Engagement Consultant, 2014 – 2015
Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, Denver, CO
Interfaith Organizer, 2016 – 2017
Faith in Public Life, Washington, DC
National Organizer, 2014 – 2015
Evangelicals for Marriage Equality, Washington, DC
National Spokesperson and Program Director, 2014 – 2015
BOOKS AND EDITED VOLUMES
A Higher Love: A Spiritual Guide to Finding Purpose in Troubled Times. New York: St. Martins Essentials, 2026
The Dark Side of White Christian Nationalism. Nashville: Quior Books, 2025 (Contributing Author)
The Outreach Guide on the Bible and Homosexuality. Chicago: Paulist Press, 2026 (Contributing Author)
Reading Romans Right. Nashville: Quior Books, 2025 (Foreword Author)
Queer and Christian: Reclaiming the Bible, Our Faith, and Our Place at the Table. New York: St. Martins Essentials, 2025
The Everyday Mystic. Nashville: Quior Books, 2024 (Contributing Author)
Who is Jesus?. Nashville: Quior Books, 2024 (Contributing Author)
Joy Goes With Us: A Journey of Faith and God's Love Through the Eyes of a Gay Christian, Independently Published, 2024 (Foreword Author)
Building Your Digital Sanctuary: An Introductory Guide to Effective Digital Ministry. Eugene: Cascade Books, 2023 (Editor)
Dry Bones and Holy Wars: A Call for Social and Spiritual Renewal. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2022
Only Love: How Everything Was, Is, and Will Be. Nashville: Quior Books, 2021 (Foreword Author)
Filled to Be Emptied: The Path to Liberation for a Privileged People. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2022
Nighttime Devotional for Teen Boys. New York: Rockridge Press, 2021
Upper Room Disciplines Devotional. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2021 (Contributing Author)
How to Heal Our Divides. Minneapolis: Write for Your Life, 2021 (Contributing Author)
The Deconstructionists Playbook. Philadelphia: Bemba Press, 2021 (Contributing Author)
El Evangelio De La Inclusión. Miami: JuanUno1 Publishing, 2021 (Spanish Translation)
Oneing: Liminal Space. Albuquerque: The Center for Action and Contemplation, 2021 (Contributing Author)
Strength in Faith: A 52 Week Devotional for Men. New York: Rockridge Press, 2020
Nomad: A Spirituality for Traveling Light. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2020 (Rerelease)
Rally: Litanies for Justice Workers. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2019 (Contributing Author)
The Preachers Guide to the Lectionary, Volume 2. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2019 (Contributing Author)
The Gospel of Inclusion: A Christian Case for LGBT+ Inclusion in The Church. Eugene: Cascade Books, 2019
True Inclusion: Becoming A Community of Radical Embrace. Indianapolis: Chalice Press, 2019
Our Witness: The Unheard Stories of LGBT+ Christians. Eugene: Cascade Books, 2018 (Editor)
Zwerven Met God. Amsterdam: Kok Publishers, 2017 (Dutch Translation)
Nomad: A Spirituality for Traveling Light. London: Darton, Longman, and Todd, 2016
Courage to be Queer. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016 (Foreword Author)
Kissing in The Chapel, Praying in The Frat House. New York: Rowman and Littlefield, 2014 (Contributing Author)
SELECTED ESSAYS AND ARTICLES
“The Culpability of Conservatives in Queer Violence” Baptist News Global. Dallas: Baptist News Global, December 2022
“The Bible does not condemn LGBTQ people”, Outreach Magazine. New York: America Magazine, October 2022
“Be not afraid: The encouragement of Revelation for our modern moment” Baptist News Global. Dallas: Baptist News Global, September 2022
“Digital Deception: How We Ended Up Here and What We Can Do to Save Ourselves” Patheos. “Politics Blue” Virginia Beach: Belief Net, January 2021
“Preparing for Life After Lockdown” The San Diego Union Tribune. San Diego: The San Diego Union Tribune, May 2020
“On The Threshold of Tomorrow” Oneing. “Liminal Space” edited by Richard Rohr. Albuquerque: The Center for Action and Contemplation, February 2020
“Contemplative Activism: The Path of Sacred Resistance” Ministry Matters. Nashville: Ministry Matters, November 2019
“Why Traditional Christianity Must Die” Progressing Spirit. Portland: Progressive Christianity, October 2018
“Conservative Politics Are Corrupting Evangelicalism” Time Magazine. New York: Time Magazine, March 2016
“I’m Queer and Still an Evangelical” The Washington Post. Washington: The Washington Post, February 2015
“Black Churches Are Burning and I am Responsible” Sojourners Magazine. Washington: Sojourners Magazine, July 2015
SELECTED INVITED PRESENTATIONS AND LECTURES
“Faith Communities and Queer Inclusion”. Union College, Schenectady, NY, October 2023
“Gay and Christian, No Contradiction.” TEDxLSSU, Salut Sainte Marie, MI, March 2023
“The New Christian Reformation.” St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN, February 2023
“Embracing True Inclusion in the Workplace.” AT&T Global, Atlanta, GA, October 2022
“The Biblical Case for Queer Inclusion.” Eastern University, St. Davids, PA, March 2022
“Why the Equality Act Matters to People of Faith.” The Bradbury Sullivan LGBTQ+ Center, Allentown, PA, September 2021
“Filled to Be Emptied: A Path of Liberation for a Privileged People.” The Ammerdown Centre, Bath, England, September 2021
“The Spiritual Harm of Conversion Therapy.” The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, March 2021
“The Global Impact of Conversion Therapy.” The Global Commission on LGBTQ+ Dignity. Westminster Abbey, London, England, January 2021
“True Inclusion: Creating Intersectional Inclusive Communities.” Lady Margaret Hall of Oxford University, Oxford, England, February 2020
“Forward: The Biblical Trajectory Towards Inclusion.” We Are Church Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, February 2020
“The Winding Path of Vocation.” The University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, April 2019
“Uncovering A Queer Biblical Theology.” Eastern University, St. David’s, Pennsylvania, March 2019
“True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace.” Disciples Seminary Foundation, Claremont, CA, August 2018
“A Christian Case for LGBTQ+ Inclusion.” Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, November 2017
“A Christian Case for LGBTQ+ Inclusion.” The Queens College of Oxford University, Oxford, England. November 2017
“Nomad: A Spirituality for Traveling Light.” Wijdekerk, Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 2017
“Affirmation: A Call to Radical Inclusion within Evangelicalism.” The Parliament of the World’s Religions, Salt Lake City, UT, October 2017
“The Future of Integral Spirituality.” The Windemere Centre. The Annual Windemere Lecture. Toronto, Ontario, September 2017
“Deep and Wide: The Impact of Religiously Motivated Bullying on Queer Youth.” The Federal Summit on Bullying. The White House, Washington, DC, November 2016
“Queer God: LGBTQ+ Liberation Theology.” The University of Calgary, Calgary, Ontario, June 2016
“Creating an Inclusive Church.” San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Francisco, CA, April 2016
“Gay Christian vs. Biblical Christian.” The National Association of Religious Broadcasters Convention, Nashville, TN, October 2015
“A Witness to Equality.” Washington National Cathedral: “A Service to Honor Equality”, Washington, DC, July 2015
“Religious Liberty: What it Means and What’s at Stake.” Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2015
“An Interfaith Perspective on Inclusion.” The U.S. Peace Corps National Headquarters, Washington, DC, March 2015
BOARDS & MEMBERSHIPS
2024- Present, Associate Minister, Unitarian Universalists Ministers Association
2023 - Present, Patron, One Body, One Faith UK
2023 - 2024, Senior Digital Ministry Fellow, Convergence
2022 - 2024, Council of Reference, The Ozanne Foundation UK
2022- Present, Member, Society of Biblical Literature
2022 - Present, Member, American Academy of Religion
2022 - Present, Member, American Marketing Association
2021 - 2024, Associate Member, American Association of Political Consultants
2020 - Present, Fellow, The Salzburg Global Summit
2020 - Present, Honorary Advisor, The Center for Progressive Christianity
2019 - 2021, Founder & Co-Chair, Devout Interfaith Coalition of San Diego Pride
2019 - Present, Founding Member, The Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives
2017 - Present, Founding Member, The Union of Affirming Christian of Union Theological Seminary
2017 - 2019, Advisor, STAND Magazine Editorial Board
2015 - 2017, Working Group Member, United States Department of Health and Human Services
2015 - 2017, Working Group Member, United States Department of State, Religion and Global Affairs
AWARDS & HONORS
2024- Prophetic Leadership Award, LGBT+ Religious Archives Network
2022- Tipple Fellowship, Drew University
2017- Kaufman Fellowship, Iliff School of Theology