ABOUT GASTON CHRISTIAN

The Gaston Christian School (GCS) Statement of faith is a summary of our core Christian beliefs which are derived from the Bible and which are also based upon historic, orthodox, Christian consensus.  We believe God’s attributes are described in the Bible, including that He is loving, holy, and unchanging.  We believe all people have a sinful and broken nature which manifests itself in various ways in various people.  These sinful behaviors are contrary to God’s will as it is explained in the Bible.  The Bible also gives us wisdom for holy living, and God has given us His Holy Spirit to grow us in sanctification so that behaviors which please God are possible.  Our student body at GCS comes from a wide variety of denominations and churches which have statements of faith which may differ from the school’s position contained herein.  Therefore, this statement serves to clarify the school’s views on marriage, sexuality, gender, and the resulting impact this position has on the school’s expectations for employees and students.  Policies for our employees are found in a separate GCS staff policy manual. 

We believe marriage has only one meaning: the covenantal uniting of one man and one woman in a single exclusive union, as delineated in the Bible (Gen. 2:18-25). We believe that God intends His gift of sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (I Cor. 6:18, 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman and that any form of sexual behavior outside of the marriage relationship is clearly outside of God’s will and sinful.  Some examples include, but are not limited to adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography (Matt. 15:18-20; I Cor. 6:9-10).  

We believe that God’s design is the wonderful and unchanging creation of each person as male or female in the womb of their mother.  These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Gen. 1:26-27).  Rejection of one’s gender given by God in the womb is a rejection of God’s design for that person. The school does not condone intentional attempts by a person to change one’s biological sex nor will the school refer to students by gender-specific pronouns other than those in alignment with their gender in the womb.

We also believe that there are circumstances in which a school must react to an employee or student’s behavior when it does not align with our beliefs.  We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Gaston Christian School as a Christian ministry and to provide a Biblical role model to the Gaston Christian School students and the community, it is imperative that employees agree with and abide by this statement, and that parents and/or guardians agree that their students will abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-16; I Thess. 5:22) while enrolled at Gaston Christian.

Our policies and practices flow from our Statement of Faith and are also intended to guard against instructional disruptions at school (see Parent/Student handbook for specific policies).  When a student is behaving in ways which contradict this statement, the school’s administration will take the following approaches:

• We will focus our partnership with parents on discipling, mentoring, and helping students understand biblical thought and actions regarding marriage, sexuality, and gender.

• While we believe sexual behavior outside of God’s design as mentioned above to be sinful, we also believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 10:9-10; I Cor. 6:9-11).  We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Gaston Christian School.  Sinful treatment of any student by another is not tolerated (see Parent/Student handbook for conflict, harassment, and bullying policies).

• Student instruction, discipline, and counseling will be administered in accordance with their God-given gender in the womb.  We will refer to students using pronouns aligned with their God-given gender in the womb. Students must dress, use the bathroom and locker room, and participate on athletic teams which align with their God-given gender in the womb (see Parent/Student handbook for further language and context).