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

About the Workshop

Attend both sessions November 6 and November 13, 2025 from 6:30-8:00 pm.
It is highly recommended that you attend both sessions.

Taste and see the genius of Zora Neale Hurston with a glimpse of how she engaged with the Bible! While reading essays and excerpts from one of America’s most captivating and controversial novelists and folklorists, we will explore the imaginative power of the Bible through the lens of Black culture. Led by Rev. Dr. Justin Reed.

Register by November 4, 2025 to attend the first session.

Cost to Attend

Registration is $50 per person.

All portions of the workshop will be a Hybrid event.
Due to the nature of the event, a photography/recording will not be available after.

About the Instructor

Justin Michael Reed, Associate Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, 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.

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

*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.

Reading the Bible with Zora Neale Hurston

A lifelong learning opportunity.