The Radical Religion Collective, later named the Community for Religious Research and Education, formed in Berkeley, California in 1973 to continue the publishing arm of the closed Berkeley Free Church (1967-1972). Richard L. York, pastor of the church, became a member of the Collective, as did students from the Graduate Theological Union and people from the broader community. They published the journal Radical Religion: A Quarterly Journal of Critical Opinion, 1973-1981, and collected a resource library for researching issues in radical religion, socialism, peace and justice, and Latin America. The collection contains working and organization files, correspondence, published material (monographs, periodicals, pamphlets), newsclippings, and photographs.

In 1973, the Berkeley Free Church (GTU 89-5-016. See that Collection Inventory for a full description of the Church.), which had operated in the South Campus area of Berkeley, California since 1967 under the leadership of the Rev. Richard York, "closed its doors and took a long hard look at its work and future." In the months that followed, the former BFC staff and board made decisions to conclude "the ministry of survival services to street people," but continue the publications arm of the BFC in a new direction and develop new programs. The new direction for publication was the creation of Radical Religion: A Quarterly Journal of Critical Opinion. The Introduction in the first issue of Radical Religion, Winter 1973, provides an explanation of its growth from the Berkeley Free Church and its intention as a journal, the "religious left needs a forum for reflection while developing strategies for constructive action. Radical Religion is designed to provide this forum. We in the religious left can use Radical Religion as a means to understand ourselves better, to develop a sense of solidarity, and to grow into a movement with a purposeful direction."

12 boxes, 1 folio 9.50 feet

Copyright has not been assigned to The Graduate Theological Union. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Graduate Theological Union as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Collection is open for research.