Christian Research Association
Encyclopedia
The Christian Research Association (CRA) was founded in 1985 to study the Christian faith in Australia
. Its work consists of major research projects, overviews of research on religion in Australia, and contract research for Christian
organisations, including local reports based on Australian Census data.
in Australia
.
Its key supporters and board members are:
The Christian Research Association has several aspects to its work:
of South Australia. The report states: "Conservatively interpreted, the surveys show that around 4 per cent of young people read the Bible daily, another 6 per cent read it weekly, and 15 to 20 per cent read it very occasionally."
In February 2009, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the results of the "Religion And Occupation" study by the Christian Research Association and the National Church Life Survey
. The article says: Whether trying to earn their way to heaven or (more likely) trying to embody the love they think God has for the world, believers tend to give more money away, run more soup kitchens, collect more aid for those in poor countries and gravitate more toward "people professions" than those without religion.
In January 2008, the Sydney Morning Herald reported research by the Christian Research Association into religious affiliation in rural areas. Phillip Hughes, then director of the CRA, is quoted as saying: Farming people, more than any other sector, have a high level of interdependence on each other. They share machinery, they help each other out and they need the sense of community and the sense of Christian faith as the basis of that.
Christianity in Australia
Christianity is the largest religion listed by Australians in the national census. In the 2006 Census, 63.9% of Australians were listed as Christian. Australia has no official state religion and the Australian Constitution protects freedom of religion. The presence of Christianity in Australia...
. Its work consists of major research projects, overviews of research on religion in Australia, and contract research for Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
organisations, including local reports based on Australian Census data.
Origin and supporters
The Christian Research Association was founded in 1985 to study the Christian faithChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Its key supporters and board members are:
- The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane
- The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne
- The Assemblies of God
- Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference
- Baptist Union of Victoria
- Council for Christian Education in SchoolsCouncil for Christian Education in SchoolsThe Council for Christian Education in Schools is an Australian religious organisation which also operates under the name of Access Ministries...
(Vic) - The Interchurch Trade and Industry Mission
- Lutheran Church of AustraliaLutheran Church of AustraliaThe Lutheran Church of Australia is the major Lutheran denomination in Australia, it also has a presence in New Zealand. It has 320 parishes, 540 congregations, 70,000 baptized members in Australia, 1,130 baptized members in New Zealand, 52,463 communicant members and 450 active pastors. Its...
- Prahran Mission
- Salvation Army (Southern Territory)
- Seventh-day Adventist ChurchAustralian Union Conference of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia is formally organised as the Australian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists , a subentity of the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists. As of 31 December 2008, church membership stands at 54,173...
- Uniting Church, Synod of New South Wales
- Uniting Church, Synod of Victoria
- World Vision of Australia
Aim
According to the Christian Research Association's website:- (The CRA's) task is to provide up-to-date and reliable information about religious faith and church life in Australia.
The Christian Research Association has several aspects to its work:
- Major research projects ...
- Overview of research on religion and church-life in Australia, primarily through Pointers, a quarterly bulletin of reports of research.
- Contract research for individual churches, denominational bodies, and other church-related organisations.
- Reports for local areas using the latest Census data plus data from other sources.
Recent activities
In April 2010, the Christian Research Association produced the report Bible Engagement Among Australian Young People, which was commissioned by the Bible SocietyBible society
A Bible society is a non-profit organization devoted to translating, publishing, distributing the Bible at affordable costs and advocating its credibility and trustworthiness in contemporary cultural life...
of South Australia. The report states: "Conservatively interpreted, the surveys show that around 4 per cent of young people read the Bible daily, another 6 per cent read it weekly, and 15 to 20 per cent read it very occasionally."
In February 2009, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the results of the "Religion And Occupation" study by the Christian Research Association and the National Church Life Survey
National Church Life Survey
Australian National Church Life Surveys have been performed every 5 years from 1991 to 2001, to study Church Life in Australia. The NCLS Research partnership administers these surveys...
. The article says: Whether trying to earn their way to heaven or (more likely) trying to embody the love they think God has for the world, believers tend to give more money away, run more soup kitchens, collect more aid for those in poor countries and gravitate more toward "people professions" than those without religion.
In January 2008, the Sydney Morning Herald reported research by the Christian Research Association into religious affiliation in rural areas. Phillip Hughes, then director of the CRA, is quoted as saying: Farming people, more than any other sector, have a high level of interdependence on each other. They share machinery, they help each other out and they need the sense of community and the sense of Christian faith as the basis of that.