Social Competence of Christian Religious Education Teachers in Explaining God’s Covenant with All Nations (Genesis 9:13): A Study at SDN 173621 Sitarak

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the social competence of a Christian Religious Education (CRE) teacher and students’ understanding of God’s covenant with all nations in Genesis 9:13 at SDN 173621 Sitarak, Toba. Theologically, the Noahic covenant emphasizes divine faithfulness, universality, and ethical responsibility toward all creation, making it a relevant foundation for religious instruction within Indonesia’s pluralistic context. Employing a quantitative descriptive design with a correlational approach, the research involved 72 Christian students selected through total sampling. Data were collected using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire measuring two variables: teacher social competence (effective communication, empathy, inclusivity, fairness, and dialogical openness) and students’ theological understanding of the covenant theme (meaning, universality, symbolic significance of the rainbow, and social-ethical application). Instrument validity was established through expert review, and reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s Alpha (≥ 0.70). Data analysis included descriptive statistics and Pearson Product-Moment correlation at the 0.05 significance level. The findings indicate that the CRE teacher’s social competence was perceived at a high level and that students demonstrated a strong understanding of the universality and ethical implications of Genesis 9:13. The results suggest that socially competent interaction, characterized by respect, openness, and empathy, creates a classroom climate that facilitates deeper cognitive and moral internalization of biblical covenant theology. The study concludes that social competence is a central dimension of effective CRE pedagogy and serves as both a pedagogical instrument and a theological witness in fostering inclusive and responsible faith understanding within diverse educational settings.