Kevin Eckstrom
Kevin Eckstrom joined the Religion News Service staff in 2000 and became editor-in-chief in 2006.
All Stories by Kevin Eckstrom
The Meltdown of Liberal Christianity?
By Kevin Eckstrom — August 7, 2006
Beliefnet‘s Charlotte Allen takes on the mainline Protestant churches in the pages of the LA Times, arguing that an anything-goes theology is the deathknell of liberal-minded churches. She makes a few good points, but seems to be saying that the reason these churches are shrinking is simply because they don’t agree with her. Either way, […]
In Vino Veritas
By Kevin Eckstrom — August 5, 2006
Jesuit Jim Martin, one of the most insightful and witty Catholic writers out there, takes on Mel Gibson and his recent anti-Semitic diatribe after a few too many drinks. Money quote: “The weirdest part of Gibson’s drunken rant was his statement that the Jews are responsible for all the wars. So, did he mean throughout […]
Talk About Natural Family Planning …
By Kevin Eckstrom — June 27, 2006
Ayesha Akram’s article on gay Muslims who seek lesbian Muslims for “marriages of convenience” is getting lots of chatter in the blogosphere …
COMMENTARY: The McCarrick Mystique
By Kevin Eckstrom — May 20, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) There’s a reason why they call him Uncle Ted. Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who officially entered retirement on Tuesday (May 16), is a rare bird among America’s Catholic bishops and, sadly, one of a dying breed. Many things would make a man like McCarrick stand out _ his approachable […]
Time To Put On Your Finest …
By Kevin Eckstrom — March 2, 2006
Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who steered the U.S. Catholic Church through the clergy sex abuse scandal, is an interesting man to watch. Not only because he’s charismatic and well-liked, but because many believe he could eventually become the first black American cardinal (he’s currently an archbishop in Atlanta). But perhaps the most intriguing reason to watch […]
A Priest Speaks Out for (Gay) Marriage
By Kevin Eckstrom — March 1, 2006
Catholic teaching on homosexuality (and by extension, gay marriage) is pretty clear. So it can be surprising when a Catholic priest bucks the company line and speaks publicly in support of gays and lesbians. It’s even more surprising when that priest lives in Idaho. Father W. Thomas Faucher, pastor at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in […]
The Luck of the Irish: Bishop Says Corned Beef is Kosher on St. Paddy’s Day
By Kevin Eckstrom — March 1, 2006
What’s a good Irish Catholic to do when St. Patrick’s Day-with its corned beef and cabbage-falls on a Friday during Lent, when meat is prohibited? At least one Catholic bishop, Carl Mengeling of Lansing, Mich., has given his blessing for a dispensation to allow corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day. There was no word on […]
Things That Make You Go Oops…
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 27, 2006
It sounds like something Jesus might say-“If you will but worship me, all will be yours” (Luke 4:7)-so maybe it wasn’t suprising to find the verse posted on the Web site of St. James United Church of Christ in Limerick, PA. The only problem is the quote isn’t from Jesus– it’s from Satan, used to […]
“Don’t Mess With the Nuns”
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 10, 2006
Time Magazine’s Mike Allen tells of his first time covering the pope-Benedict XVI met with First Lady Laura Bush on Thursday-and a nun who threatened to summon the Swiss Guards for some “unintentional and mysterious infraction.” Time has the story here. Lesson No. 1? “Don’t Mess With the Nuns.”
To Publish or Not to Publish?
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 9, 2006
While the Muhammad cartoons have been published widely across Europe, U.S. newspapers have, by and large, refrained from publishing them. Only the Philadelphia Inquirer has reprinted the cartoons. Which raises the question-are newspapers holding back out of religious sensitivity, or out of fear for retribution? The Phoenix family of alternative newspapers gives its reasons here. […]
The Controversial Cartoons
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 8, 2006
The BBC’s Magdel Abdelhadi has an illuminating take on why the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad have proved so controversial. Abdelhadi says it’s not the cartoons per se that have upset Muslims around the world. The money quote: There seems to be a confusion between two issues: the Islamic ban on any pictorial representation […]
When Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness
By Kevin Eckstrom — January 26, 2006
Or maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be. A Catholic church in NW Indiana has to pay $100,000 to clean up its rectory after its old pastor was apparently trying to recreate Noah’s Ark with a host of dogs, cats and guinea pigs. The problem, however, is that the priest never cleaned up after […]
Now They Call Him `Father’ for Another Reason …
By Kevin Eckstrom — January 19, 2006
Catholics in Ireland say the church is losing good, qualified priests who are leaving their jobs because of mandatory celibacy. The Irish Examiner has the story of a 73-year-old priest, Father Maurice Dillane, who left the church after he fathered a baby with a 31-year-old woman. Critics of the celibacy policy say many men would […]
Bishop Puts a New Face on Abuse Scandal
By Kevin Eckstrom — January 11, 2006
Alan Cooperman over at The Washington Post has a story today about Bishop Tom Gumbleton of Detroit revealing that he was a victim of clergy sexual abuse some 60 years ago. Gumbleton, a liberal pacifist and one of the youngest (and now one of the longest-serving) men ever made a bishop in the U.S. Gumbleton […]
Who Does Pat Robertson Speak For?
By Kevin Eckstrom — January 6, 2006
Jeff Jarvis over at Buzz Machine has an interesting discussion about the media’s responsibility in covering Pat Robertson, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others. If the media pay attention to their outrageous comments, are these men getting more attention than they deserve, or do they deserve attention simply because they are known figures?
