Brandan Robertson (born June 24, 1992) is a gay writer, activist, minister, and TikTok religious influencer. He has written on the subjects of

millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western world, Western demography, demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as start ...

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals ...

, and

Progressive Christianity Progressive Christianity represents a post-modern theological approach, and is not necessarily synonymous with progressive politics. It developed out of the liberal Christianity of the modern era, which was rooted in the Enlightenment's think ...

, and he is an LGBTQ activist.

Biography

He became a Christian at the age of 12 in a

Baptist church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul comp ...

. In 2014, he received a Bachelor of Arts from the

Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have ...

. In September 2014, Robertson was named the national spokesman of "Evangelicals for Marriage Equality", an organization that sought to encourage evangelicals to support civil

marriage equality Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

, even if they were unable to support sacramental marriage equality in the church. In November 2014, Robertson led the effort to convene a historic meeting between Southern Baptist leaders and LGBT+ movement leaders during the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...

’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. This meeting opened the doors for conversations and collaboration between some of the most influential religious leaders in America and leading LGBT+ activists. In 2015, Robertson's work was the subject of an MSNBC documentary film about his work to convince Southern Baptist leaders to support marriage equality. In February 2015, publisher Destiny Image canceled its book deal with Robertson, citing his support for LGBTQ inclusion. The book was later published. In March 2016, Robertson wrote an

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. ...

for ''Time'' magazine in which he claimed that he could not "in good conscience, remain aligned with the modern manifestation of the vangelicalmovement." Robertson's writing and work now focus on

mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness derives from ''sati'', a significant element of Hind ...

, contemplation, and progressive Christianity, rather than espousing traditional doctrines or dogmas of a particular religious denomination. In 2017, he also obtained a master's degree from the

Iliff School of Theology Iliff School of Theology is a graduate Methodist theological school in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1892, the school's campus is adjacent to the University of Denver. Fewer than 200 students attend the school. Iliff is one of thirteen United ...

. In 2017, he became pastor of the Missiongathering Christian Church (

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...

) in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. In 2022, Robertson began his PhD in Biblical Studies at

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three sch ...

Personal life

Robertson previously identified as

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...

, but now identifies himself as gay.

Bibliography

*''Building Your Digital Sanctuary'' (Cascade Books, 2023) *''Dry Bones and Holy Wars: A Call for Social and Spiritual Renewal'' (Orbis Books, 2022) *''Filled To Be Emptied: The Path of Liberation for Privileged People'' (Westminster John Knox Press, 2022) *''Nighttime Devotionals For Teen Boys'' (Rockridge Press, 2021) *''Strength In Faith: A 52-Week Devotional For Men'' (Rockridge Press, 2020) *''Nomad: A Spirituality For Traveling Light'' (Augsburg Books, 2020) *''The Gospel of Inclusion: The Christian Case for LGBT+ Inclusion'' (Cascade Books, 2019) *''True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace'' (Chalice Press, 2018) *''Gay and Christian, No Contradiction'' (Metanoia Media, 2017) *''Our Witness: The Unheard Stories of LGBT Christians'' (Cascade Books, 2017) *''Nomad: A Spirituality for Travelling Light'' (Darton, Longman, and Todd Books, 2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Brandan American Christian writers 1992 births American LGBT rights activists Living people Moody Bible Institute alumni People from Elkridge, Maryland Bisexual writers Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) clergy Queer theologians LGBT people from Maryland LGBT people from California 21st-century LGBT people