There’s a bookmark in my Bible that shows the winsome faces of two attractive 20-something dark-haired, brown-eyed Iranians with a kind of alluring beauty that makes Persian women some of the ...

Steve Duin: Metro columnist Steve Duin (whose columns can be found here) has worked for The Oregonian/OregonLive since 1980. Hired as a sports writer, he began writing a political column in 1988, then ...

I was driving by the U.S. Supreme Court building the other day when I saw him — a teenager wearing a red T-shirt, black pants and a piece of red tape across his mouth. The word L-I-F-E was written on ...

Not long ago, the book “Simple Small Groups” landed on my desk. Back in the 1970s, small groups — then known as “home groups,” “shepherd groups,” “kinship groups” and so on — were the rage in American ...

There’s a reason Uzbekistan, which celebrated its 18th birthday Tuesday, is one of the world’s most repressive societies. The man the Uzbeks chose as their national symbol is popularly known as ...

With Halloween approaching, it’s the time of year to talk about mystical philosophies, Ouija boards, secret lodges, New Age thought — in other words, the “occult” aspect of religion that deals with ...

I just got another one of those notices in the mail for would-be children’s authors. This time it’s the annual fall conference for the Western Pennsylvania chapter of the Society of Children’s Book ...

Throughout the month of Ramadan, which begins Friday, the Cattaneo children won’t have to worry about explaining to teachers and friends why they’re fasting every day. That’s because they’re ...