Human Sexuality

As we continue to review the elements of our Capstone Community Covenant and the first things to which we point through a classical education and which undergird our school community, we come to an unlikely topic: human sexuality. It’s a fair question to ask why this is mentioned at all. To answer this question, we include this week’s First Things article, which blends content from the covenant and the parent handbook. 

Human sexuality, marriage, the family, and the divine design for human relationships of all kinds are foundational to any culture, and as these go, so goes that culture. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that as these go, so goes a civilization. The blessings and curses of good and evil expression of human sexuality have left their mark on the course of human history. Handling human vulnerability, the differences between the sexes, the importance of commitment in intimate relationships, the procreation of human life, and the rearing of children is vital to political, familial, and spiritual life. Accordingly, it is imperative for any community that takes the sanctity of human life, family, and civic duty seriously to teach wisdom and virtue and truth, goodness, and beauty as they pertain to human sexuality and relationships. 

As stated in the Community Covenant, Capstone Classical Academy believes and teaches that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female and that these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Additionally, the school curriculum teaches that marriage has only one meaning: the uniting of a man and a woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25), and that through this divine union, man is expected to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28), demanding that we cherish and nurture all life, from conception to natural death (Exodus 20:13; Proverbs 31:9-9). The academy is committed to the biblical teaching that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Corinthians 8:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). The academy does not require families to subscribe to this position, but students will encounter our beliefs on these matters as normative in the school curriculum and codes of conduct. Should parents want to discuss these matters with academy leadership, they can expect open and respectful dialogue.

As with all subjects in classical education, the curriculum is integrated, showing the natural relationships between various areas of study. As such, the role of gender, sexuality, marriage, and family will appear in all of the liberal arts and sciences. It is our expectation that parents will have already answered their children’s natural curiosity about these topics before they are discussed in the curriculum. While broad truths regarding marriage, family, and society will show up in grammar school, direct instruction on sexual organs is taught later in a gender-separated environment in 5th grade science and in upper school biology. Parents have the opportunity to preview the materials used in class and are invited to attend a meeting with the teacher(s) prior to such lessons. Sexual intercourse is only discussed in the context of a marriage relationship between two people of opposite biological sexes. Parents will have the choice of having their children opt out of these lessons, which are taught during the regular science class. 

In the upper school, themes that deal with sexuality may emerge from the reading of a serious text, such as Brave New World or The Scarlet Letter. When these topics do emerge from the curriculum itself, teachers will engage the material in an earnest manner. Upper school students may be involved in discussions concerning sexuality and sexual restraint as these issues affect their living a moral and responsible life. Such discussions will always be led by the administration or a faculty member who has the full confidence of the Headmaster in these matters. 

Additionally, an instructional unit entitled “God’s Purpose for Sexuality” is taught in high school in the context of human health. Sex education via the health class will be taught in a gender-separated environment. Developing moral imagination is an integral part of our program. Sexuality involves serious moral decision-making. It is important to help students build the capacity to make and abide by sound moral choices. We would like our teaching of human reproduction to be a springboard to initiate and facilitate discussions between parents and children on this sensitive subject, and we share curriculum and lesson plans with parents so that they can initiate such discussions with their children.

In summary, our aim is to present human sexuality, gender, and family as a remarkable good created by God with sovereign purpose and to show the centrality of these topics to human thriving and to do so with full transparency to and partnership with parents. We pray that this element of our program will result in blessing for your children and the communities in which they honor that sovereign purpose in the years to come.