PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION (2020) 57(7): 10962-10970 ISSN:0033077 10962 www.psychologyandeducation.net Family As The First Locus Of Christian Religious Education Learning: Textual Analysis Of Deuteronomy 6:7-9 Noh I. Boiliu, 1* Daniel Stefanus, 2 Christina M. Samosir, 3 Fransiskus I. Widjaja, 4 Aeron F. Sihombing 5 1,3 Christian Religious Education Department, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Christian University of Indonesia, Jakarta 2 Cipanas Theological Seminary, Jawa Barat, Indonesia 3 Real Theological Seminary, Batam, Indonesia 5 SAPPI Theological Seminary, Jawa Barat, Indonesia Email : boiliunoh@gmail.com ABSTRACT The article attempts to address the family as the first locus for religious education and its essential role for children. Parents play a role in leading children to believe in God and play a role in guiding children. Parents must perform this role in the family as the first locus. However, parents are not yet fully aware of their duties and responsibilities as teachers and do not understand that family is the first to teach Christian religious education. This analysis will focus on the text of Deuteronomy 6: 7-9. The method used in this research is exegetical. Based on the study of the text of Deuteronomy 6: 7-9, the family is the first place where Christian religious education takes place. Success at the family level becomes a force for the task of teaching Christian religious education. Christian religious education (family as the scope) as an approach for learning duties to build and maintain faith from within. In the first place, the family can play a role in developing the child's belief. In the family, children can imitate their parents because their parents are an adequate and close faith model. Herein lies the role of the family in the development of children's faith. Keywords: Family, First Locus, Christian Religious Education, Learning, Deuteronomy 6:7-9 Article Received: 24 October 2020, Revised: 13 December 2020, Accepted: 06 January 2021 Introduction Parents have a central role in conducting the children's lives that it is not to be replaced or taken over by any parties. Parents must bear it. In 2018, a survey was held by Bilangan Research Center (BRC) 1 on "Spirituality of Indonesian Young Christian Generation" The survey indicates the most deserving "figure" who guides the children to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. The data suggest that parents do 73.1% of that role, and the remaining 10.6% are by pastors. This data shows a positive result concerning the parent's role is merely guiding the children towards Christ. Yet another significant variable is being surveyed and unfortunately the results turn to be negative on the parent's side. The survey is on the parent's role of leading the children to Christ by discussing or studying the Word of God. This time, the data shows that only 23% done by parents and 77% is by nonparental role. 1 D. Handi Irawan and Cemara A. Putra, “Orang Tua Tidak Peduli Pertumbuhan Rohani Anak/Parents does not concern about the children spiritual growth,” http://bilanganresearch.com/orang-tua-tidak-peduli- pertumbuhan-kerohanian-anak.html, 2018. The survey shows that parents are not wholly concerned with their duty as educators and their lack of understanding about the family's centrality as the locus of Christian religious education. This article is an exegetical approach to Deuteronomy 6: 7-9 as an Old Testament text often used due to parental responsibility for the children's religious education. Deuteronomy's book firmly emphasizes the idea of teaching children by talking about God's commandment over with them (Deut. 11:19). The act is supposed to be done directly and not through the use of symbols of any kind. Deuteronomy 6: 6; 11:18 shows that the very act of teaching is to be done full-heartedly. Weinfeld states that this is a "reflection of the teaching or didactic circle of wisdom." 2 The distinctive pedagogical consciousness of Deuteronomy can be seen from its didactic vocabulary. The word "teach" למד" is not found anywhere in the other books in the Pentateuch, except in Deuteronomy. The connotation of the word is synonymous with the word "discipline" יסר, that derives from the phrase מוסר, which also used in Deuteronomy (19:18; 29:17; 13: 1), the same word also used in the divine discipline (3: 11-12). Just as 2 Moshe Weinfeld, Deuteronomy and Deuteronomistic School (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972), 302-302.