The Gryphon’s Weapons

Capstone Classical Academy is concerned about the erosion of the foundation and walls of the Church and of society by the folly and vice that run rampant through culture, government, schools, and families largely due to the neglect of wisdom and virtue as studied and pursued in the classical Christian liberal arts that shaped the best of Western Tradition in ages past. Capstone Classical Academy was established in 2021 to repair the damage caused by this neglect and to provide a capstone for future generations of the Church and society. 

Capstones are the protective stones set along the top of a masonry wall, causing water to flow in a certain direction in order to mitigate erosion. In Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders, he declares that those who put his words into practice build their lives upon solid, immovable rock that can withstand the storms of evil and suffering. An excellent classical Christian education integrates Christ’s teachings with the classical liberal arts, providing a capstone of wisdom and virtue that protects its pupils and their communities from the eroding effects of folly and vice. 

It is through the intentional practice of virtue within the academy that we seek to habituate students’ hearts to putting Jesus’ teaching into practice in order to build their lives on solid rock. To this end, we design curriculum, co-curricular programs and experiences, and disciplinary methods that call for the practice and testing of virtue—what St. Augustine would call rightly ordered loves. We pray and work for our learners and scholars to fight life’s battles by loving God first, trusting that all other loves get rightly ordered under this one supreme love.

Though we provide academic skills and knowledge that can be leveraged for all sorts of success in school and career, by God’s grace, the supreme provision through a Capstone education will be wisdom and virtue. If our children are to stand firm in the spiritual war in which they must live, they must fight with the right weapons. The apostle Paul declares a similar word from the Lord, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:3-5).

This is why we call the academy’s virtues The Gryphon’s Weapons. They aren’t simply admirable traits to which our learners and scholars aspire. They are weapons that have the power to destroy evil strongholds. The Gryphon’s weapons are integrity, humility, temperance, fortitude, charity, reverence, and prudence. The cultivation of these virtues is a central focus of all that we do at Capstone. A Gryphon has integrity; he tells the truth and does what is right, even when no one is watching. He is humble; he serves others before he serves himself. He is temperate; he does not let his feelings control his thoughts or actions. He practices fortitude; he does hard things, even when they are difficult or scary. He is charitable; he is kind and helpful to everyone. He is reverent; he shows respect for those older and wiser than him. He knows his place in the world. He is prudent; he makes wise choices to believe what is True, to do what is Good, and to admire what is Beautiful. 

May our Father be pleased to use our community’s practice of virtue as a capstone to preserve and protect his handiwork in our children. For they are his craftsmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He prepared beforehand, that they should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).