CALL Courses: Fall 2025
All Fall 2025 courses run September 8 – October 27. Courses are online and fully asynchronous, each week a separate interactive lesson featuring discussion with your classmates and instructor.
The public course cost is $150. Registration for Fall 2025 opens on July 21.
- Systematic Theology with Dr. Stephan Quarles
- Pastoral Care with Marginalized Communities with the Rev. Sarah Kye Price, PhD
- Orientation to the Old Testament with Dr. Donn Morgan
- Introduction to the Book of Common Prayer with the Rev. Melissa Hartley, PhD Registration for this class is closed
- The Parables with Fr. Laurent Okitakatshi, PhD
- Global Anglicanism with the Rev. John Kater, PhD
- Facing Choices: Ethics in the Anglican Tradition with the Rev. Austin Leininger, PhD
- Interfaith and Multicultural Issues in Theology and Ministry with the Rev. Francisco García, PhD This class has been canceled
- The Diaconal Hermeneutic with the Ven. Tim Spannaus, PhD
Systematic Theology
Systematic theology seeks to tell a single story about God and God’s activity in the world from Creation to the Eschaton. There are points within that story that we will focus on, particularly as it comes to gaining clarity about God’s activity. The person of Jesus Christ as the central and seminal activity of the Christian story will be focused on and seen as the lens by which Christians come to learn to speak this story about God. We will, then, focus on the Holy Spirit and the Church’s role in the world and this story.
Systematic theology is, therefore, the telling of this story in a coherent and methodologically ordered manner. This course will explore the specific and critical relationships between doctrines—God, Christology, Creation—and the life of the world and the Church together.
Therefore, systematic theology is not a totalizing discourse that seeks to control or articulate precisely what or who God is. God is beyond the language that systematicians use, yet the work of systematic theology is to explore, wrestle, name to excess, and articulate clearly “the faith with a little understanding.”
Instructor: Dr. Stephan Quarles holds a PhD in Systematic and Philosophical theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Ca. He specializes in the intersections of 20th century philosophy with systematic theology, particularly the cross and apophatic theology. He lives in Central Illinois with his wife and child. He works as a Chaplain at OSF St. Francis in Peoria, Il.
Pastoral Care with Marginalized Communities
This course focuses on practical and theological foundations for engaging authentically and meaningfully with communities where life experiences, identities, and/or demographic characteristics reveal a social divide that can preclude others (and ourselves) from recognizing their full humanity. Readings and other course content integrate literature from social science, practical theology, and personal narratives of experience. The course begins with personal and theoretical reflections on privilege, power and difference and then considers approaches to authentic community engagement. Pastoral care in this framework honors the full humanity and unique experiences of individuals while simultaneously recognizing the social challenges of stigma, oppression, privilege and unconscious bias which can affect the quality and effectiveness of the helping relationship. Participants will engage with readings, mini-lectures, case studies and ethnographic narratives and discuss methods and approaches for collaborative, partnered ministry when engaging with marginalized communities. Individual reflections and participation in a group book project are essential components of this course.
Instructor: The Rev. Sarah Kye Price, PhD, is a blended vocational priest and professor living and serving in Richmond, Virginia. She is a 2018 graduate of the low residency MDiv program at CDSP and a career social worker (BSW 1992, SUNY College at Buffalo; MSW 1993, Syracuse University; PhD 2005, Washington University in St. Louis). Sarah currently serves in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia as the Vocations Minister and Local Formation Director for the St. Phoebe School for Deacons, shepherding the discernment and formation process in Virginia and preparing vocational deacons to serve in the Dioceses of Virginia and Southwestern Virginia. She previously served as Professor and Associate Dean with the School of Social Work at VCU where she retains the honorary role of Distinguished Career Professor. She loves music, poetry, parenting, prayer beads, iconography and pastoring at the margins of the world where God is always present.
Orientation to the Old Testament
This course provides an orientation to the Old Testament Scriptures for those with limited exposure to and knowledge of its content. Orientation to the whole Old Testament in the space of seven weeks is made possible by seeing it from many different perspectives. Sometimes we look at the whole, as scripture and canon–especially at the beginning and the end of the course. At other times we look carefully at distinctive literary, historical, and theological characteristics. Our goal is to be able to navigate through the whole Old Testament, studying particular texts more easily, understanding its organization and its basic messages. This course is intended to orient, interest, and motivate further study of the Old Testament, making it a constant and valuable part of ministry.
Instructor: Donn Morgan is Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Always a student and teacher of the Bible, he also held administrative positions at CDSP (academic dean, president). He has been deeply involved in theological education in The Episcopal Church and the Graduate Theological Union, as well as teaching in Asia and England. His books include Fighting with the Bible, Manifesto for Learning, Talking with the Bible and The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible (editor).
Introduction to the Book of Common Prayer
Registration for this class is closed
This course will offer an introduction to the Book of Common Prayer, looking at its historical roots in the Church of England and following its development in the American prayer books. The primary focus will be on the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and its use today. Since much of the theology of the Episcopal Church is contained within its worship, this course will examine how the 1979 prayer book is different from previous editions and why these changes are so significant. Emphasis will be given to the rites of initiation and the eucharist.
Instructor: The Rev. Melissa Hartley, PhD, is Priest Associate at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Huntsville, Alabama, where she oversees liturgy and adult Christian formation. She also teaches at The University of the South, in Sewanee, Tennessee, in the ACTS (Alternative Clergy Training in Sewanee) program at the School of Theology. Melissa is an Episcopal priest originally from Atlanta and has served parishes in Georgia, New York, New Jersey, and Tennessee. Most recently, she was the Senior Associate University Chaplain at Sewanee. She holds the following degrees: B.A., University of the South; M.Div., S.T.M., General Theological Seminary; Ph.D. (Liturgical Studies), Drew University.
The Parables
The course explores the parables of Jesus in their historical, cultural, and literary contexts. A study of specific parables will determine the theological themes, codifications for social reform, ethical lessons in them, and their significance for the Church and society today.
Instructor: My name is Laurent Okitakatshi, the instructor for the course on The Parables. I am a Roman Catholic Priest and I hold a doctorate in Biblical Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. The New Testament is my primary area of concentration with a particular interest in the letters of St. Paul. My doctoral dissertation is entitled: “Not a slave, But a Beloved Brother in the Flesh and in the Lord: the Construction of a Koinonia-Space in the Letter to Philemon.”
Ordained for the diocese of Tshumbe, I am originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Central Africa). English is my second academic language and my fourth spoken language after Otetela, Lingala, and French. I’ve been an instructor for the CALL Program since 2020 and I teach courses on Introduction to the New Testament, The New Testament Parables, and The Pauline Epistles. I am also the professor of New Testament Studies at St. John Paul II Theological Seminary in Lodja (Democratic Republic of Congo).
Global Anglicanism
Most Episcopalians experience the Anglican tradition through their own church, and perhaps have some knowledge of our roots in the Church of England. But the Anglican Communion of the twentieth century is made up of 42 autonomous member churches around the world, each with its own history, spirituality, worship and theology. This course will explore that rich diversity through the work of contemporary church leaders both lay and ordained, with the hope that our own practice of Christian faith in the Anglican Way might be deepened and enriched as we come to know our Anglican sisters and brothers whose context is so different from our own.
Instructor: A native of Virginia, John Kater served as assistant minister and later as rector at Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie, NY and also taught for ten years as a visiting professor at Vassar College. From 1984 to 1990 he served as education officer for the Episcopal Diocese of Panama and priest-in-charge of Iglesia San Francisco de Asís in Panama City. He is Professor Emeritus of Ministry Development at CDSP and since 2007 has been teaching one semester yearly at Ming Hua Theological College in Hong Kong, In 2022 he was appointed Rector Emeritus at Christ Church in Poughkeepsie, where he now lives.
Facing Choices: Ethics in the Anglican Tradition
Ethics in the Anglican tradition draws on a rich history of discourse as we strive to engage with our faith, living it out in an imperfect world and Church. Whether we are struggling to justify sacramental liturgy and church hierarchy in the face of Puritan attack, or determining church policy on inclusion of women and LGBTQIA+ people, Anglicans have drawn on a wide array of ethical approaches ranging from teleological virtue ethics to relational theory (both pre-feminist and contemporary).
Ethical dilemmas continue to challenge lay and ordained leaders across the wide diversity of our church—frequently in our own parishes, where each of us engages our faith to face the challenges that surround us. In this course we’ll explore how thinkers as diverse as Plato (ancient Greece) and Marcella Althaus Reid (contemporary social justice and postcolonial liberation theorist) have helped people of faith make hard choices and live faithfully with the results. We’ll spend some time conversing with history (ancient Greece, Bible, Reformation), then dive into some of our “best” Anglican dilemmas both old and new as we explore the application of our rich tradition to real life issues in the church at home and around the world.
Instructor: The Rev. Dr. Austin Leininger has been an Episcopal priest since 2006, and currently serves as rector at Christ the King in Arvada, CO. Austin completed a PhD in Ethics and Social Theory at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and has been teaching in Anglican studies and Ethics for the past ten years. Austin currently teaches at CDSP and Iliff School of Theology’s Anglican Studies program in Denver, CO. Austin is husband to Jane, and papa to their three children.
Interfaith and Multicultural Issues in Theology and Ministry
This class has been canceled
In his book Why We Can’t Wait, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said “we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This course explores the implications of this statement as it relates to formal and informal theologies and ministry practices as we engage in an increasingly culturally and religiously diverse and pluralistic world. The course will cover in theory and practice what it means to engage in authentic, relational, impactful, and justice-oriented ministry and community-based work from an Episcopal and ecumenical lens, in partnership with diverse communities within and outside of church contexts. While many topics will be covered, particular attention will be given to the issue of immigration as a lens/case study for exploring course themes.
Instructor: The Rev. Francisco García, PhD, is an Episcopal priest, organizer and campaign strategist, and theological educator with extensive experience in interfaith, community, labor, and academic settings. He completed his doctorate in theology, ethics and action at Vanderbilt University. He works as a Campaign Director for the Bargaining for the Common Good project at the Action Center on Race and the Economy. He also serves as the Co-Chair of the Sacred Resistance-Sanctuary ministry for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Dr. García served as Adjunct Faculty during the 2024-2025 Academic year, teaching Systematic Theology, Moral Theology, and Ministry in a Global City for the M.Div. program. In the CALL program, he has previously taught courses on liberation theologies and ethics, intersectional theologies, and community organizing fundamentals for the church.
The Diaconal Hermeneutic
At their ordinations, deacons are charged, “to interpret to the church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world.” This charge assumes that deacons have a particular charism and vocation to perceive, derive and share meaning from the world, the church, Holy Scriptures and the Book of Common Prayer. Enabling the deacons’ prophetic voice, this course helps the student understand their own social location, ways of finding meaning in culture, society,, and the arts, and then ways of sharing and expanding on meaning with others. Using the hermeneutical circle and other approaches, students will experiment with ways of finding deep meaning for themselves.
Instructor: Tim Spannaus is Archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan and retired deacon of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit. Tim has been a deacon since 1996, having been raised up and serving in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and then being received into the Episcopal Church in 2006 He previously served at St. John’s, Royal Oak (MI), where he initiated the Stephen Ministry program and Education for Ministry. He continues mentoring EfM, with participants from across the diocese. Tim also teaches The Diaconate, a CALL course.
He is retired from Wayne State University, where he was Sr. Lecturer and Program Coordinator of Learning Design and Technology until 2020. Tim served as convenor of the Vocational Development and Lifelong Learning Task Force of the Association for Episcopal Deacons in the development of Competencies for Deacons, 2017 (Rev. 2018). He earned his PhD from Wayne State. He is former president and a Fellow of the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (ibstpi).
He also has served the diocese and the Episcopal Church in a variety of roles relating to formation and Safe Church, Safe Communities, including the Task Force to Develop Safe Church Policies and Training. He serves on and was formerly chair of the diocesan Commission on Ministry and participated in the revision of the process for ordination, including developing competencies and formation plans for those seeking ordination. He co-leads the cohort of locally formed seminarians in the Diocese of Michigan. Tim is married to Collette Pariseau and has two sons and two grandsons. He enjoys baking, woodworking and road trips.
