LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Christian school in Louisville gave an assignment this week asking middle school students to write a letter to a hypothetical friend warning against homosexuality, resulting in public criticism and a review by school leaders.
The Christian Academy of Louisville School System assignment calls for a seventh grader to write a letter to a hypothetical friend of the same gender and age “struggling with homosexuality.” The students were asked to tell the hypothetical friend about why “homosexuality will not bring them satisfaction” and “that you love them even though you don’t approve of their lifestyle.”
“The aim of your letter should be to lovingly and compassionately speak truth to the person you are talking to in a way that does not approve of any sin,” said the assignment entitled ‘Letter to a Homosexual Friend.”
Louisville consultant J.P. Davis said that after a parent at the school showed him the assignment and told him they didn’t want their son to work on it, he posted it on social media.
He said he had received about 100 messages from alumni, parents and others who are “outraged.”
Darin A. Long, Superintendent of the Christian Academy of Louisville School System said Friday in a statement that, “We have been made aware that a student assignment from one of our middle school bible elective classes has been posted on social media.”
“The assignment is part of a unit of study which discusses ‘What are humans and where is their identity.’ This particular assignment, in context, was how a person could discuss homosexuality with a friend from a biblical perspective with compassion and love,” said Long.
“This hypothetical friend conversation was for our students to review the class discussions and their perspectives on the subject. Moving forward, we will review this assignment to ensure there is clarity in its purpose and language,” Long said.
Christian Academy of Louisville is a Christian-based private school system that partners with families that desire a Christ-centered educational environment, Long said.
He said the school teaches all content with a biblical worldview which is defined in Statement of Faith and Theological documents which are provided at the time of student applications, during family interviews, and in school and parent partnership agreements.
‘We believe that God created the marriage covenant to be between one man and one woman (Gen. 1:27, Gen. 2:24). We believe that sex is a good gift of God, to be celebrated within the confines of the marriage covenant, agreeing that all other sexual expressions go against God’s design. (1 Cor. 6:18, Gal. 5:19),” Long said.
“We believe that all individuals are created in the image of God and therefore should be treated with compassion, respect, dignity, and love at all times even in disagreement,” said Long.
Davis owns a Louisville-based company, J.P. Davis Partners, which he said was a fundraising consulting firm that focuses on community impact and social impact.
Davis said Christian schools have broad latitude, but the assignment raises the question, “Is this a realistic, acceptable, educational tool in modern day society?”
