This opportunity is open to the general public as part of our Lifelong Learning initiative.

About the Lunch & Learn

Register by Oct. 9 to attend the October 15 (12:30-1:30 pm) workshop on the campus of Louisville Seminary.

The workshop will focus on the errors and limitations of Christian Nationalism. CN is a threat to American democracy, and especially for the Christian church. Presbyterians take a vow to protect the “purity” of the church which is under threat as Christians are being misled to their identity as a follower of Christ. It does not mean a merger of one’s American and Christian identities with no dual loyalties between church and state. The different manifestations will be examined and the ways in which it infiltrates progressive congregations.

Cost to Attend

Registration is $6 per person for lunch.

How to Participate

This Lunch & Learn workshop will be offered IN PERSON on the beautiful Louisville Seminary campus.
Location details are provided in your registration confirmation.

About Your Instructor

Rev. Jimmie Ray Hawkins serves as a Assistant Stated Clerk, member of the Senior Leadership Team, and as the Mission Director of the five advocacy offices of the Presbyterian Church (USA): Washington Office of Public Witness, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations (NYC), Immigration and Advocacy, Mission Responsibility Through Investigations, and race and Gender Justice.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies from North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC); a Master of Arts in Christian Education from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (Richmond, VA); and a Master of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center/Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary (Atlanta, GA).

For twenty years he served as the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Durham, NC, 1996 - 2016. Between 1992 - 1996, he served as the senior pastor of Grace Presbyterian, Holmes Memorial and Trinity Presbyterian churches in Virginia (Peaks Presbytery).

He served on the boards of Church World Service, the National Council of Churches and Union Presbyterian Seminary. He has chaired several interfaith/ecumenical and non-profit boards: NC NAACP Executive Committee, Durham Congregations in Action, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, the Religious Coalition for a Non-Violent Durham, Housing for New Hope (homeless advocacy), End Poverty Now, and others. He served as a tri-chair for the Washington Interfaith Staff Committee (WISC) and the Heads of Washington Office (HOWO). Serving the church, he has traveled to Haiti, Cuba, and Israel/Palestine.

His community ministry includes being a leader for the Moral Monday Movement since its onset in 2013, as well as with the Poor People’s Campaign since 2017. He has engaged in four acts of civil disobedience protesting voter suppression, lack of healthcare and for a living wage.

He is the author of three books, Unbroken and Unbowed (2022) and The Shaping of Black Identities (2025), both published by Westminster John Knox Press, and In God We Trust: The Origins of Christian Nationalism (2026).

He is the son of the late Elsie L. and James P. Hawkins. He is married to Sheinita Hampton Hawkins, and they have two children: Kaela Renee and James Hampton.

To learn more about Lifelong Learning Opportunities, visit: lpts.edu/LLL

*This event may be photographed and/or recorded. By registering and participating, you understand that your image may be included in the recorded video or still photography, and you consent to this and its use in any and all media throughout Louisville Seminary and its partners.

A Conversation: Justice and Christian Nationalism Lunch & Learn

A lifelong learning opportunity.