{{Infobox organization | name = Religious Education Association | image = REA-logo-300.png | image_alt = REA Logo | abbreviation = REA | formation = 1903 | founder = William Rainey Harper | leader_title = President | leader_name = Karen-Marie Yust | affiliations = American Academy of Religion | website = http://religiouseducation.net }}

The '''Religious Education Association''' is the world's oldest and largest association of scholars and researchers in the field of religious education.<ref>{{cite book|last1=McBrien|first1=Richard|title=Encyclopedia of Catholicism|url=https://archive.org/details/harpercollinsenc00mcbr|url-access=registration|date=1995|publisher=HarperSanFrancisco|location=San Francisco, CA|pages=[https://archive.org/details/harpercollinsenc00mcbr/page/1096 1096–1097]|isbn=978-0-00-627931-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Boys|first1=Mary|title=Educating in Faith: Maps and Visions|date=1989|publisher=Sheed & Ward|page=4}}</ref> It is a nonprofit member association, serving as a professional and learned society for scholars and researchers involved in the field of religious education. It has several hundred members, most of whom are from North America, with a scattering of members worldwide.<ref name="Cully">{{cite book|last1=Cully |display-authors=etal |first1=Iris|title=Harper's Encyclopedia of Religious Education|url=https://archive.org/details/harpersencyclope0000cull |url-access=registration |date=1990|publisher=Harper & Row|page=[https://archive.org/details/harpersencyclope0000cull/page/545 545] ff}}</ref> REA members are university and college professors, independent scholars, secondary teachers, clergy, church educators, curriculum developers, judicatory executives, seminarians, graduate students, and interested lay-people. REA members come from multiple faith traditions, and no tradition, and study a very diverse array of religious traditions.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schmidt|first1=Stephen|title=History of the Religious Education Association|date=1983|publisher=Religious Education Press|location=Birmingham, AL|pages=192–196}}</ref> The REA's leaders (presidents and executive secretaries) are drawn from a distinguished list of educators.

==History== The REA was founded in 1903 by William Rainey Harper, the first president of the University of Chicago, with the support of the Council of Seventy, a learned society of biblical scholars.<ref>"Form new organization for religious education," ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', June 20, 1903, p. 6</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Archibald|first1=Helen|title=Originating visions and visionaries of the REA|journal=Religious Education|date=Fall 2003|volume=98|issue=4|pages=413–425|doi=10.1080/00344080390244856|citeseerx=10.1.1.630.9546}}</ref> George Albert Coe was also involved in its establishment.<ref name=setran>{{cite journal |last1=Setran |first1=David P. |title=Morality for the "Democracy of God": George Albert Coe and the Liberal Protestant Critique of American Character Education, 1917–1940 |journal=Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation |date=Winter 2005 |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=107–144 |doi=10.1525/rac.2005.15.1.107 |jstor=10.1525/rac.2005.15.1.107 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/rac.2005.15.1.107|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The keynote speaker at its first convention was John Dewey.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Moran|first1=Gabriel|title=Still to come|journal=Religious Education|date=Fall 2003|volume=98|issue=4|pages=495–502|doi=10.1080/00344080390244829}}</ref> In its early years the Association was organized into several groups: Council of religious education, Universities and colleges, Theological seminaries, Churches and pastors, Sunday schools, Secondary public schools, Elementary public schools, Private schools, Teacher-training, Christian associations, Young people's societies, the Home, Libraries, the Press, Correspondence instructions, Summer assemblies, Religious art, and Music.<ref>"The Religious Education Association," in ''The Biblical World'', Vol. 25, No. 1, p. 70-72, Jan. 1905</ref> In 1906 the Association began to publish the journal ''Religious Education'' under the editorship of Henry Cope.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Moore|first1=Allen J.|title=100 years of the Religious Education Association|journal=Religious Education|date=Fall 2003|volume=98|issue=4|pages=426–436|doi=10.1080/00344080390238114}}</ref> In 1953 the Association marked its 50th anniversary with a three-day meeting at the University of Pittsburgh that brought together more than 2500 Christian and Jewish educators from the US and Canada.<ref>"Church educators to mark 50th year," New York Times, 31 October 1953, p. 9</ref> In 1973 the Association began awarding the William Harper Rainey award to distinguished educators.<ref>{{cite web|title=William Rainey Harper Award|url=http://www.religiouseducation.net/harper|website=Religious Education Association|accessdate=11 April 2015|date=2011-02-13}}</ref> In 1975, the Association held a major national colloquy on civil religion at which scholars Robert Bellah, Vine DeLoria, Jr., and Michael Novak spoke.<ref>"Educators weigh a 'civil religion,'" New York Times, 27 November 1975, p. 38</ref> In 1992 the Association began awarding the Herman E. Wornom award to distinguished institutions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Herman E. Wornom Award|url=http://www.religiouseducation.net/wornom|website=Religious Education Association|accessdate=11 April 2015|date=2011-02-14}}</ref> In 2003 the REA merged with the Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education<ref>{{cite web|title=Design for a joint reorganization of REA and APRRE|url=http://www.religiouseducation.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/REA_APRRE_052003.pdf|website=Religious Education Association|accessdate=11 April 2015}}</ref> (which was formed in 1970 from an earlier section of the National Council of Churches). Yale University holds the archives of the Religious Education Association and its predecessor bodies.<ref>{{cite web|title=Guide to the Archives of the Religious Education Association (Record Group #74)|url=http://drs.library.yale.edu/HLTransformer/HLTransServlet?stylename=yul.ead2002.xhtml.xsl&pid=divinity:074&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes|website=Yale University Library|accessdate=11 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Guide to the Archives of the Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education (Record Group #154)|url=http://drs.library.yale.edu/HLTransformer/HLTransServlet?stylename=yul.ead2002.xhtml.xsl&pid=divinity:154&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes|website=Yale University Library|accessdate=11 April 2015}}</ref>

==Publications== The REA has published the scholarly journal ''Religious Education'' continuously since 1906 (archives of which are available electronically at Taylor & Francis).<ref>{{cite web|title=Official Journal of the Religious Education Association|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/urea20#.VSlUbRPF_0o|website=Taylor & Francis Online|publisher=Taylor & Francis|accessdate=11 April 2015}}</ref> This journal has consistently published work by scholars from multiple continents, diverse faith traditions, and various educational settings, and maintains a high level of citation in various ranking systems.<ref>{{cite web|title=Journal ranking|url=http://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=29598&tip=sid&clean=0|website=SCImage Journal and Country Rank|accessdate=11 April 2015}}</ref> In 2014 the REA began publishing a scholarly monograph series entitled ''Horizons in Religious Education'' jointly with Wipf & Stock.<ref>{{cite web|title=Horizons in Religious Education series|url=http://wipfandstock.com/catalog/category/browse/?price=-20&t_series=60456|website=Wipf & Stock Publishers|accessdate=11 April 2015}}</ref> The REA also publishes a quarterly newsletter, ''eREACH'', which began as the “religious education association clearing house,” and which serves to network, resource, and connect the association members.<ref>{{cite web|title=Archives of eREACH|url=http://www.religiouseducation.net/newsletters/ereach|website=Religious Education Association|accessdate=11 April 2015|date=2012-02-06}}</ref>

==Annual meeting== The REA hosts an annual meeting, usually in early July.<ref>{{cite web|title=REA Annual Meetings|url=http://www.religiouseducation.net/meetings|website=Religious Education Association|accessdate=11 April 2015|date=2011-02-12}}</ref> Meeting presentations occur in three formats: research interest group (a formal scholarly paper), collaborative session (engaging ideas from a number of scholars on the same theme), and poster (a typical scholarly poster presentation).<ref>{{cite web|title=Guidelines for presenters at the annual meeting|url=http://www.religiouseducation.net/meetings/guidelines|website=Religious Education Association|accessdate=11 April 2015|date=2014-06-18}}</ref> The association has a long history of commitment to collegiality, innovative learning design, and support for students.<ref name="Cully" /> In addition, the REA is a "related scholarly organization" to the American Academy of Religion, and hosts one session each year at the AAR annual meeting.<ref>{{cite web|title=Partnerships|url=https://www.aarweb.org/about/partnerships|website=American Academy of Religion|accessdate=11 April 2015}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{official|http://www.religiouseducation.net}} *The scholarly journal [http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/urea20/current#.VRWh-5PF_0o Religious Education] *[http://www.religiouseducation.net/newsletters/ereach eREACH], the newsletter of the Religious Education Association *The books series jointly published by REA and Wipf and Stock, [http://wipfandstock.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?q=horizons+in+religious+education&t_series=60456 Horizons in Religious Education] *[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Religious%20Education%20Association Significant documents from the history of the REA] which have been digitized by the HathiTrust. *[http://drs.library.yale.edu/HLTransformer/HLTransServlet?stylename=yul.ead2002.xhtml.xsl&pid=divinity:074&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes Yale University Archives for the REA] *[http://drs.library.yale.edu/HLTransformer/HLTransServlet?stylename=yul.ead2002.xhtml.xsl&pid=divinity:154&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes Yale University Archives for APRRE]

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Category:Religion and education Category:Religious education Category:Learned societies of the United States Category:Interfaith organizations Category:Organizations established in 1903