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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Religious Education Association is the world’s oldest and largest association of scholars and researchers in the field of religious education.[1][2] 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.[3] 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.[4] The REA's leaders (presidents and executive secretaries) are drawn from a distinguished list of educators.
| |
| Abbreviation | REA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1903 |
| Founder | William Rainey Harper |
President | Anne Walker |
| Affiliations | American Academy of Religion |
| Website | http://religiouseducation.net |
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.[5][6] George Albert Coe was also involved in its establishment.[7] The keynote speaker at its first convention was John Dewey.[8] 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.[9] In 1906 the Association began to publish the journal Religious Education under the editorship of Henry Cope.[10] 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.[11] In 1973 the Association began awarding the William Harper Rainey award to distinguished educators.[12] In 1975, the Association held a major national colloquy on civil religion at which scholars Robert Bellah, Vine DeLoria, Jr., and Michael Novak spoke.[13] In 1992 the Association began awarding the Herman E. Wornom award to distinguished institutions.[14] In 2003 the REA merged with the Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education[15] (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.[16][17]
The REA has published the scholarly journal Religious Education continuously since 1906 (archives of which are available electronically at Taylor & Francis).[18] 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.[19] In 2014 the REA began publishing a scholarly monograph series entitled Horizons in Religious Education jointly with Wipf & Stock.[20] 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.[21]
The REA hosts an annual meeting, usually in early July.[22] 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).[23] The association has a long history of commitment to collegiality, innovative learning design, and support for students.[24] 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.[25]
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