Christian Religious Education Teachers’ Competence in Teaching Social Justice: An Exegetical Study of Exodus 23:2 at SMA Negeri 12 Pekanbaru

Abstract

This study examines Christian Religious Education (CRE) teachers’ competence in teaching social justice through an exegetical analysis of Exodus 23:2 within the instructional context of SMA Negeri 12 Pekanbaru. The biblical text warns against following the majority in wrongdoing and emphasizes judicial integrity rooted in covenantal fidelity. In a school where approximately 200 Christian students are served by one CRE teacher, the effectiveness of pedagogical competence becomes critical for transforming scriptural ethics into lived moral awareness. Using a quantitative descriptive method with a correlational approach, the study involved 60 randomly selected Christian students from the total population. Data were collected through a structured Likert-scale questionnaire measuring two primary variables: teacher competence (including mastery of biblical content, contextual exegesis, instructional strategy, classroom management, and assessment design) and students’ understanding of social justice in Exodus 23:2. The instrument underwent expert validation and reliability testing using Cronbach’s Alpha. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Product-Moment correlation. The findings reveal a positive and statistically significant relationship between perceived teacher competence and students’ comprehension of biblical social justice. Students demonstrated stronger interpretive and applicative understanding when instruction integrated exegetical depth with dialogical engagement and contextual relevance. The study concludes that pedagogical competence functions as a critical bridge between Scripture and ethical formation, enabling students to internalize covenantal justice as moral courage in resisting unjust majority pressure within contemporary social contexts.