Religious Education Association#Publications
{{Infobox organization
| name = Religious Education Association
| image = REA-logo-300.png
| alt = REA Logo
| abbreviation = REA
| formation = 1903
| founder = William Rainey Harper
| leader_title = President
| leader_name = Anne Walker
| 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.{{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 }}{{cite book|last1=Boys|first1=Mary|title=Educating in Faith: Maps and Visions|date=1989|publisher=Sheed & Ward|page=4}} 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.{{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}} 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.{{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}} 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."Form new organization for religious education," Chicago Daily Tribune, June 20, 1903, p. 6{{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}} George Albert Coe was also involved in its establishment.{{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}} The keynote speaker at its first convention was John Dewey.{{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}} 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."The Religious Education Association," in The Biblical World, Vol. 25, No. 1, p. 70-72, Jan. 1905 In 1906 the Association began to publish the journal Religious Education under the editorship of Henry Cope.{{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}} 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."Church educators to mark 50th year," New York Times, 31 October 1953, p. 9 In 1973 the Association began awarding the William Harper Rainey award to distinguished educators.{{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}} In 1975, the Association held a major national colloquy on civil religion at which scholars Robert Bellah, Vine DeLoria, Jr., and Michael Novak spoke."Educators weigh a 'civil religion,'" New York Times, 27 November 1975, p. 38 In 1992 the Association began awarding the Herman E. Wornom award to distinguished institutions.{{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}} In 2003 the REA merged with the Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education{{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}} (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.{{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}}{{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}}
Publications
The REA has published the scholarly journal Religious Education continuously since 1906 (archives of which are available electronically at Taylor & Francis).{{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}} 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.{{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}} In 2014 the REA began publishing a scholarly monograph series entitled Horizons in Religious Education jointly with Wipf & Stock.{{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}} 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.{{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}}
Annual meeting
The REA hosts an annual meeting, usually in early July.{{cite web|title=REA Annual Meetings|url=http://www.religiouseducation.net/meetings|website=Religious Education Association|accessdate=11 April 2015|date=2011-02-12}} 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).{{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}} The association has a long history of commitment to collegiality, innovative learning design, and support for students.{{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}} 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.{{cite web|title=Partnerships|url=https://www.aarweb.org/about/partnerships|website=American Academy of Religion|accessdate=11 April 2015}}
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 Hathi Trust.
- [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:Learned societies of the United States