Joining us in-person? We invite you to come to the Winn Center prior to the Edwards lecture for the BCS Homecoming Reception. Doors open at 5:00 PM (ET).

Ancient Texts, Modern Interpretations, and Political Relevance

Dr. Justin M. Reed will be at Louisville Seminary to deliver the lecture in person with an option for remote participants to join virtually. Registration is required whether attending in-person or online. In-person and online details are provided in your registration confirmation email. The Edwards Peacemaking Lectureship is coupled in time & theme with the annual Black Church Studies Consultation: Turn to Your Neighbor" on February 20, 2026. For more details on all events leading up to the consultation, visit: https://lpts.edu/BCSC2026

If you have already registered to attend this lecture through the https://lpts.edu/BCSC2026 link, consider your spot reserved. If not, please proceed with registering here.

Questions or need assistance registering, contact bcs@lpts.edu
If you need to modify your reservation, contact info@lpts.edu

About the Lecture

A central concern of African American biblical scholarship has been the liberatory relevance of the Bible to people of African descent in modern contexts. With a meditation on themes in Cheick Oumar Sissoko’s 1999 film La Genèse, this lecture explores critical issues for biblical scholarship to remain relevant to issues of justice, inclusion, and mutual concern today.

View printable pdf.

About Dr. Justin M. Reed

Justin Michael Reed earned a bachelor's degree in African & African American Studies from Stanford, his master's degree in Hebrew Bible from Harvard, and his PhD in Old Testament from Princeton Seminary. He combines these interests through teaching and publications focused on Black biblical hermeneutics, ideological criticism, and how the study of race and ethnicity can inform our interpretation of biblical texts.

Reed's 2020 dissertation earned him the Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise and is the foundation for his first monograph, The Injustice of Noah's Curse (Oxford University Press, 2025).

He is ordained as a Progressive National Baptist minister, and contributes to the wider church by sharing the insights of critical biblical scholarship in ways that are interesting and accessible.

For access to some of his work, visit drjustinreed.com/links.

He is married to attorney Catherine Howard, who serves as a public defender for Jefferson County; they are the proud parents of Jordan and Justice.

About the Edwards Peacemaking Lectureship

The Edwards Peacemaking Lectureship honors Dr. George Edwards and his wife, Jean. Dr. Edwards, an alum of Louisville Seminary (BD ’51), also served the Seminary for 27 years as Professor of New Testament. Dr. Edwards died June 2, 2010. Together, Dr. and Mrs. Edwards shared a ministry that was active in Christian efforts for peace and social justice. Established in 1986, the Edwards Peacemaking Lectureship endowment supports a visiting lecturer to teach a special course or program in continuing or lay education.

Traditionally, the Edwards Peacemaking Lectureship has been coupled in time and theme with the Black Church Studies Consultation because of the shared focus on peace and social justice. View prior lectures here.

*Please note that the 2026 Edwards Peacemaking lecture may be recorded. By registering and participating, you understand that your video or photograph may be captured, and you consent to this recording and its use in any and all media throughout Louisville Seminary and its partners.

"Ancient Texts, Modern Interpretations, and Political Relevance"

2026 Edwards Lecture presented by Dr. Justin M. Reed