Developing Student Spirituality through Pedagogical Competence: A Biblical-Educational Study of Genesis 12:8 at SMP Negeri 58 Bengkulu Utara

Abstract

This study explores how the pedagogical competence of Christian Religious Education (CRE) teachers contributes to the development of students’ spirituality through a biblical-educational interpretation of Genesis 12:8 at SMP Negeri 58 Bengkulu Utara. The study employs a qualitative research design combined with a systematic literature review (SLR) to integrate empirical field data with established scholarly insights on spirituality, pedagogy, and Christian education. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with two Christian teachers, classroom observations involving thirty Christian students, and document analysis of lesson plans and institutional religious programs. The qualitative analysis followed thematic coding procedures to identify patterns related to instructional strategies, teacher–student spiritual interactions, and the integration of biblical narratives into pedagogical practices. The SLR component strengthened the analytical framework by situating the findings within broader theoretical and empirical discussions on spiritual formation and teacher competence. The findings indicate that pedagogical competence plays a significant role in fostering student spirituality through contextualized biblical teaching, reflective learning activities, and consistent modeling of spiritual values by teachers. Teachers who intentionally integrated Genesis 12:8 into classroom instruction encouraged students to develop habits of worship, prayer, and spiritual reflection. The study concludes that spiritually responsive pedagogy enhances holistic student development and reinforces the role of Christian educators as spiritual mentors. These results contribute to the growing discourse on faith-integrated pedagogy and offer practical implications for strengthening spiritual education in Indonesian secondary schools.