One hundred years ago an assembly of four hundred met at Chicago's Auditorium Hotel to create the Religious Education Association. This article traces the influences of William Rainey Harper, John Dewey, and George Albert Coe in the REA's formation, and explores social and intellectual conditions shaping this movement in its beginnings. The author highlights contributions of George Albert Coe as the leading theorist in the religious education movement from the beginnings of the REA into the middle of the 20 th century.