The Piety of Christian Religious Education Teachers in Conveying God’s Grace: A Study of Exodus 34:6 at SMK N 1 Tanah Pinem

Abstract

This study examines the role of Christian Religious Education (CRE) teachers’ piety in conveying God’s grace, based on Exodus 34:6, at SMK N 1 Tanah Pinem. The research aims to explore how teachers’ personal faith, ethical integrity, and spiritual discipline influence their pedagogical practices and students’ spiritual formation. Using a qualitative descriptive method, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis, involving five CRE teachers selected via purposive sampling. Findings indicate that teacher piety significantly shapes the delivery of religious instruction, as teachers embody the theological virtues of mercy, steadfast love, and faithfulness in both classroom interactions and personal conduct. Pedagogical strategies included theological anchoring of lessons in Scripture, interactive learning methods such as reflective discussions and role-play, and the modeling of grace through daily teacher-student interactions. These approaches enable students to experience grace relationally, enhancing their moral, spiritual, and relational development. Students reported increased awareness of God’s grace, greater engagement in personal devotional practices, and improved prosocial behavior among peers. The study underscores the importance of integrating teacher spirituality and pedagogy, highlighting that effective Christian education requires educators to be both knowledgeable and living witnesses of faith. Institutional support for teacher spiritual formation further reinforces the transmission of divine grace in educational contexts. CRE teacher piety not only facilitates cognitive understanding of theological concepts but also cultivates transformative spiritual experiences for students, demonstrating that personal holiness and professional competence are mutually reinforcing in religious education.