Kimberly Winston

Kimberly Winston is a freelance religion reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

All Stories by Kimberly Winston

Ram Dass, who introduced a generation to Hindu meditation, dies at 88

By Kimberly Winston — December 23, 2019

(RNS) — Pioneering the use of psychedelic drugs as spiritual practice, he also explored Buddhism and Hinduism, which took him to India and resulted in his 1971 best-selling book ‘Be Here Now.’

Philip Roth, acclaimed and controversial novelist who probed Jewish themes, dies at 85

By Kimberly Winston — May 23, 2018

(RNS) — Though Roth was an avowed atheist, Judaism was a perennial theme in much of his work.

The ’Splainer: The ‘gifts’ of Pentecost and Shavuot

By Kimberly Winston — May 16, 2018

(RNS) — This weekend marks the Christian holy day of Pentecost and the Jewish holy day Shavuot. Both involve 'gifts,' but not the kind that come with bows. Let us ’Splain ...

Whitefish Jews fight neo-Nazis with faith, peace and interfaith allies

By Kimberly Winston — May 7, 2018

(RNS) — What do you do when anti-Semites, stirred up by a guy you see at the local coffee shop and the gym, send you doctored pictures of your child's face beneath the gates of Auschwitz?

American Atheists terminates its president over sexual misconduct allegations

By Kimberly Winston — April 16, 2018

(RNS) — David Silverman, who took the 55-year-old organization to new prominence, is accused of sexual assault by two women.

‘Queer Disbelief’ pairs atheists and LGBTQ communities as allies

By Kimberly Winston — April 12, 2018

(RNS) — Queer activist and atheist Camille Beredjick calls for an alliance based on mutual goals of equality and acceptance.

American Atheists places president on leave pending investigation

By Kimberly Winston — April 11, 2018

(RNS) — The organization gave no specific reason for the move.

Cultivating the connection between soil and the soul with ‘FaithLands’

By Kimberly Winston — April 10, 2018

PAICINES, Calif. (RNS) — When 40 faith-based farmers gathered for a first-of-its-kind weekend at a working ranch near San Jose, they sought nothing less than a complete disruption of how food is grown, distributed and even served.

Spring books: The renewal edition

By Kimberly Winston — April 4, 2018

(RNS) — Here are eight new books — and one bonus track — where religion and spirituality are themes.

From the black church to India: The theology of Martin Luther King Jr.

By Kimberly Winston — April 2, 2018

(RNS) — Montgomery. Albany. Birmingham. Selma. Washington, D.C. In each of these places King demonstrated an evolving theology.

Martin Luther King Jr., by the book

By Kimberly Winston — March 29, 2018

(RNS) — Ten books to add depth and understanding to the April 4 anniversary of King's assassination in 1968.

The ’Splainer: The stormy, surprising history of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

By Kimberly Winston — March 29, 2018

(RNS) — What's the back story on this British import being revisited and reimagined on television Sunday night? Let us 'Splain ...

The Slingshot: Page-turning; African panthers; Passion plays

By Kimberly Winston and Jerome Socolovsky — March 28, 2018

Frank Page, Southern Baptist leader, retired due to ‘inappropriate relationship.’ ‘Black Panther’ inspires Kenyan church leaders’ march for Pan-African unity. An Oklahoma Passion play approaches the century mark.

The ’Splainer: Why do Jews eat gefilte fish at the Passover seder?

By Kimberly Winston — March 22, 2018

(RNS) — The much-maligned Passover appetizer has come to epitomize the gastronomic experience of the shtetl, or ancestral towns of many Jews of Eastern European origin.

The Slingshot: Last wrongs; Kansas mosque; Sumba rumble

By Jerome Socolovsky and Kimberly Winston — March 21, 2018

No deathbed conversion for atheist Stephen Hawking. Mosque bombing plot rattles immigrants in Kansas’ ‘meat triangle.’ On Indonesian Christian island, animist war game ritual lives on.