Christ’s Humility (Philippians 2:5-8) as the Foundation of Christian Religious Education Teachers’ Personality: A Study at SMP Negeri 1 Lubuk Pakam
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This study examines the role of Christ’s humility, as articulated in Philippians 2:5-8, as a foundational dimension of the personality of Christian Religious Education (CRE) teachers at SMP Negeri 1 Lubuk Pakam. The research is grounded in the assumption that the kenotic model of Christ provides a transformative paradigm for teacher identity and professional practice within Christian education. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 468 Christian students and 29 Christian teachers, including CRE teachers, through structured questionnaires measuring indicators of Christ-like humility and teacher personality. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression techniques. The findings reveal that the internalization of Christ’s humility among CRE teachers is generally high, as reflected in servant-oriented attitudes, empathy, emotional self-regulation, and relational sensitivity. Statistical analysis indicates a positive and significant relationship between Christ-like humility and the perceived quality of teacher personality. Furthermore, regression results show that humility contributes meaningfully to variations in teacher personality, particularly in dimensions related to servant leadership, approachability, and ethical consistency. Students reported greater psychological comfort and learning engagement when teachers demonstrated Christ-like humility in classroom interactions. The study concludes that the kenotic model in Philippians 2:5-8 is not only theologically normative but also pedagogically impactful in shaping effective CRE teacher personality. The integration of spiritual formation with professional competence is therefore essential in Christian teacher development programs. Future research is recommended to employ mixed-method designs and broader institutional samples to strengthen generalizability.
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