Kayko Driedger Hesslein

@crtcltheology

(she/her) PhD in Systematic Theology w/ an Allied Field in History; Professor of Theology; ELCIC pastor since 2002; Covid-cautious; against fascism; trans ally; Treaty 7 resident; collapse-accepting; FAFO

760 Siguiendo902 Seguidores2236 Publicaciones

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¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y crtcltheology.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· 21d

ooooo, there is nothing like proofs day!! A total dream to be included in a volume with these other amazing scholars!

A book cover page titled "Crossing Shores and Horizons: Asian and Asian American Transnational Feminist Theology" edited by Boyung Lee, Kristine Chong, Laura Mariko Cheifetz, and Nami Kim. Forward by Mary F. Foskett. Westminster John Knox Press.

A chapter called "Visiting the Daughter-Land" Kayko Driedger Hesslein. The heading of the section is "Roots and Routes, Identity and Identification." The text says:Identity formation in diaspora is complex. Stuart Hall writes that “in the dias-
pora situation, identities become multiple.” One is both of that place and
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not, at home and away, belonging and alienated, a mix of things too easily labelled hybrid. Namsoon Kang explains the complications of diaspora exis- tence as an individual develops relationships and community with those who live in a “foreign” land as a process of distinguishing between the “roots” and “routes.” Roots is based on understanding identity as “fixed, essentiality, unitary,” where the individual isolates, or is isolated, such that they remain (or are kept) within a transported and miniaturized homeland that reifies the
3
complexity of actual communities (including that of their origin). Routes understands identity as a dynamic state of “becoming, interconnecting, nego- tiating,” where the individual is formed by multiple relationships inside and
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outside of their community of origin. As Kang argues, this identity is multi- faceted, wherein the individual in diaspora moves from “alienation” to “com- mitment” and the feelings of being homeless can be transmuted into the idea that one belongs “everywhere.”5

Yet this sense of belonging requires nuance. While Kang writes of the choice to belong, that decision may be made for the individual. Helen Kiyong Kim and Noah Samuel Leavitt, writing on Asian-Jewish identity and presence in North America, differentiate between identity as one’s self-understanding, identification as how others perceive an individual, and categorization as what
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is determined by public discourse that includes government. One’s identity may be that one belongs, but one’s identification and categorization may refute that belonging. One may feel that one is a part of the community in which one lives yet be categorized by the government as a “resident alien,” defined by one’s roots rather than routes. The (permitted) routes one travels depend on how one is identified. The path of commitment does not inevitably end in belonging.
In this chapter, I explore themes of commitment and belonging, identity and identification, roots and routes through my experiences as the Japanese- and German-descent Christian mother of a Jewish daughter. When it comes to sharing the stories of women in diaspora, particularly Asian women, there is a long list of books that focus on diaspora-born daughters’ experiences of being born in a new country while also building an identity connected to their mother’s land. Obasan by Joy Kogawa, Little Gods by Meng Jin, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Tham- mavongsa, and Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien, in addi- tion to others, relate the challenges of being born in a new country but
raised by a mother-in-diaspora. Stories abound of navigating identities of being native-born but also diaspora in origin, struggling with feelings of alienation from and resentment toward mothers which eventually turn to understanding and compassion upon learning more of their origins and dias- pora journeys.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Jun 19

While it kind of has my research interests right, I have never written such a book.

KAYKO DRIEDGER
HESSLEIN
LUTHERAN PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN
178 STRENGTH • TOP 35%
CLAUDE OPUS 4.S SAYS
LUTHERAN PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN
KNOWN FOR WRITING ON QUEER THEOLOGY, IDENTITY, AND THE CHURCH: AUTHOR OF WORK ON TRANSGENDER AND CHRISTIAN BELONGING-
GPT-5.5
GPT-5.4 MINI
CLAUDE OPUS 4. S
CLAUDE HAIKU 4.5
GROK 4.20
GEMINI 3.1 LITE
KIMI KZ 0905
DEEPSEEK V4
LLAMA 3.3 70B
LLAMA 3.2 1B
GLM 4.7 FLASH
MISTRAL 3.2 24B
QWEN3 SB
IN THE WEIGHTS. CO

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· May 7

How my day is starting.

A white piece of paper that is written in pencil. It says to-do list. The first item says, Find old to-do list. The second item says, Find pen.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Apr 1

Going to the AAR after all! (Didn’t feel like this was my most stellarly written proposal but I’m looking forward to the actual presentation!)

Dear Kayko Driedger Hesslein,
Congratulations! The Christian Systematic Theology Unit has accepted your proposal "Relinquishing Hope in the Eschaton" for the In-person November Annual Meeting 2026.
You are listed as Author. Please be on the lookout for a follow-up message from the program unit chairs. And please note: you may receive additional emails as sessions are created and scheduled with your proposal.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Feb 26

When you realize that Luther didn’t just validate asexuality, he said it was a God-given gift! Luther’s Large Catechism, Sixth Commandment.

To be sure, there are some (albeit rare) exceptions whom God has especially exempted, in that some are unsuited for married life, or others God has released by a high, supernatural gift so that they can maintain chastity outside of marriage.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Feb 20

1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. No. 6. No. 7. No. 8. No. 9. No.

A picture of the nine kings of men from the movie Lord of the Rings. They are all white and old. Underneath are words that say Alberta’s Nine Referendum Questions.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Feb 12

Holding a physical copy of one’s published writing never gets old. #theology #disability #academicsky #longcovid

A book titled tatclark
DISRUPTING STORIES AND IMAGES OF THE CHURCH
Honoring Voices with Lived Experience of Disability
Edited by ALLEN G. JORGENSON, LAURA MACGREGOR & THOMAS E. REYNOLDS
Series: Emerging Perspectives in Pastoral Theology and Care

Table of Contents
List of Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction Laura MacGregor
Part I Disabling Images of the Church
Beyond Saints and Superheroes: A Phenomenological Study of the Spiritual Care Needs of Parents Raising Children with Disabilities Laura MacGregor and Allen G. Jorgenson
2
The Church as Kin (Cruise) Ship Devan Stahl
3
Radical Re-Visioning through Mad Studies: Advancing Mad-Justice
in Faith Communities Sparrow (Amy) Panton
4 The Exclusionary Circle: Analysis and Response Heather Renée
Morgan
5 The Church as a Rooted Tree, or: Stayed on Jesus!: A Partially Preached Sermon RW "Robbie" Walker
6 Days of Fullness: Warm Bread as a Metaphor for Churches That Include People with Developmental Disabilities Michael A. Walker
7
Negotiating Disclosure: To Mask or Not to Mask? Thomas E.
Reynolds
Part II Themes in Healing the Church with Disabilities
8 A Place to Belong Roz Vincent-Haven

9 Cripping Space in the Sacraments Miriam Spies

10 Beyond Transactional Ministry: Praying and Advocating with Jesus toward Justice Erin Raffety
I1 A Lens of Unproductivity: A Theological Hermeneutic for Disability Justice Kayko Driedger Hesslein

12 Three Mothers, Three Stories: Spiritual Abuse, Theodicies,Disability and Parenting Laura MacGregor

11
A Lens of Unproductivity
A Theological Hermeneutic for Disability Justice
Kayko Driedger Hesslein
Justice requires, among many things, identifying frames of bias that inhibit the questioning of systems that perpetrate and perpetuate injustice. Such identification is often the work of those alienated or rejected by the system, placing upon them a double burden. As the number of individuals suffering from long Covid (or PASC-post-acute sequalae Covid) approaches 100 million globally, wherein extreme fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and cognitive impairment are the most common symptoms, developing a theological hermeneutic that expands disability justice beyond those who are physically disabled becomes necessary yet also challenging. As someone who has had long Covid since the summer of 2022, the construction of such a hermeneutic is both life-giving and energy-draining, but the questions of and challenges to disability biases that rely on productivity or the ability to produce something can mark the way for a communal project of theological reconstruction over time. Even as these questions are raised, unproductivity guides us.
In 1994, Nancy Eiesland proposed the idea of a disabled God. Challenging the normative discourse that both privileged physically perfect humans and discriminated against people with physical imperfections, Eiesland proposed both a new framework for differentiating between the individual and the system that limited them. She helpfully clarified the difference between impairments and disabilities, where impairment refers to "an abnormality or loss of physiological form or function," and disability is "the consequences of the impairment, that is an inability to perform some task or activity considered necessary" —a limitation that is determined by what "normal abled" people can do. Her clarification was important for arguing that many people have impairments but not disabilities if their environments are shaped to accommodate impairments.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Jan 6

Wearing masks everywhere comfortably for the last five years! (Except for the single time I took it off because I was outside but also in a crowd and got covid.) But otherwise it has been quite possible to do, as testified to by the other three members of my family as well.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Dec 20

Air Fanta personal air filter. Hoping to use it to preach and teach without a mask. Science says it’s better than a mask - it’s going to take a while to convince my brain.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Nov 28

Apropos of nothing, still masking in public because of covid. And also flu. And also rsv. And measles. Next thing you know it’s going to be TB. Anyway, still masking in public everywhere.

A woman inside an industrial looking building wearing a black N95 trifold mask.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Nov 24

Okay. The edges drive me completely nuts. It’s like a sticker that isn’t properly lined up. I hate it. A lot. Am I the only one?

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Oct 1

Sabbatical #1 unlocked: 50 books/articles read, 40k words written, 2 YouTube book reviews posted, 2 articles finalized, 7200 km travelled, and 35 notes for changes to my courses. I don’t know if I did the sabbatical right, but it sure was a lot of fun!

A whiteboard that says Sabbath, what gives you life? On the side are 26 hearts filled in.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Sep 30

Legit how I teach about the council of Chalcedon. So get this, there was this Empress named Pulcheria, who was beefing with Nestorius who refused to serve her communion because she was a woman, and she had this eunuch who thought Pope Leo was the bee’s knees…

learning is so boring unless it's gossip. teachers should just start every lecture like "omg did you hear about parabolas"

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Sep 27

Oh I regret it now.

Al Overview
"Dental theology" does not refer to a recognized field of study, but rather to the integration of religious faith, particularly Christian faith, with the practice of dentistry, focusing on how ethical principles, compassion, and professional duties are influenced by spiritual beliefs. It involves dentists striving to serve as a "living sacrifice" for patients, praying for God's touch, providing honest and compassionate care, and using their practice as a form of ministry. This concept is promoted by organizations like CMDA Canada which aim to help dental professionals live out their faith in their daily work.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Sep 7

If you try to visit the defense dot gov website, you are redirected here.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Sep 3

Last month my son and I drove past that bridge and he made me stop so he could climb on the car and take a picture of the underside.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Aug 26

From the most recent In Trust magazine, the speaker is Richard Topping, the president of Vancouver School of Theology. He was actually asked for his original PhD document. That is 🦇 💩 crazy. #academicsky

"I work with a lawyer in the U.S. He told me that at the border they might want to see my actual Ph.D., not just a copy. So now I carry the framed original. On a recent trip I was asked for it."

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Aug 22

I am stunned at the level of delusion and denialism. Am I just being cynical? #academicsky #collapse

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Aug 7

Sabbatical reading update - love it when I find a biblical studies article that I can use in theology class (ontology, theological anthropology and resurrection - what does it mean to be human and created by God? How does being human look in the resurrection?) #transbiblical

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Aug 7

Iiiinteresting. Bloomsbury publishing wants to push for licensing agreements with generative AI companies to use published works for training AI. They are offering their authors opt-IN, as well as 20% of their current royalties. (I still wouldn’t be able to buy a copy of my own book.) #academicsky

that the content which such technologies reference and learn from is diverse, accurate, and of high-quality.
Our engagement in this space also affords us the opportunity to ensure that appropriate safeguards are implemented in respect of the use of our and our authors' content. We take seriously our responsibility to serve the interests of our authors and the academic and research communities as a whole in line with our mission and values, and the following principles will inform our approach to any Licensing Opportunities, depending on the specific
1. Fair remuneration to rights holders;
2. Securing licensed content and restricting text reproduction in outputs to specified amounts (e.g. number of characters or words);
3. Controlling the creation and distribution of new (derivative) works that would compete with the original work:
4. Respecting moral rights (attribution) as applicable under relevant laws.
Payment
For each work included in a licensing arrangement, you will receive a royalty payment of 20% of net receipts attributable to that work. This payment will be made in accordance with Bloomsbury's usual royalty accounting process and, if you are a co-author, in line with your contractual share under the relevant author agreement relating to the work.
Further Information
Please do visit Further Information for Authors which also sets out who to contact if you have questions. We will be updating these pages on an ongoing basis.
We thank you in advance for your consideration and timely response.
Bloomsbury ASP Licensing Team

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Jul 15

More sabbatical reading: “We won’t be able to survive climate change, the rise of fascism and white supremacy, and unending pandemics, we won’t be able to create the just future we all still hope will show up, without disability justice and disabled skills.” Pg 26-27. @thellpsx.bsky.social

A brightly coloured paperback cover with a sundial on it where the numbers are people-shaped figures. The title is The Future is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Jul 9

I tell ya, it’s a tough sabbatical when this ends up on the reading list…

A book called walking the clouds
An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction
EDITED BY Grace L. Dillon

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Jun 30

North American Christians interested in Indigenous relationship to land might appreciate “Reflection and Revelation: Knowing Land, Places and Ourselves” by Vine Deloria Jr in the book below. Written in 1991, it’s short but gives lots to think about. (Non-Christians might find it interesting too)

By the author of God is Red and Guster Died for Your Sins.
FOR
THIS LAND
WRITINGS ON RELIGION IN AMERICA
VINE
DELORIA JR
INTRODUCTION BY JAMES TREAT

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· May 13

Today’s sabbatical is brought to you by reading in the mountains and nailing 6/8 Texas gates. (And also, are they called Texas gates in Texas?) incidentally, the book is Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliviera. Because #collapse

The view out the trunk of an SUV overlooking a river in the mountains.

Highlighted text that says “other words, while modernity/coloniality rewards the dissemination of narratives related to its greatness, benefits, and achievements, it tolerates only critiques of modernity that are inconsequential in practice."

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· May 5

My video, looks like I can’t drop it onto the drive anymore though. Also, I forgot to give thanks for scientists! #nationalprayerday #wokepastor #feministpastor #transally

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Apr 29

Dammit. I hate when I start reading these things and they have immediate application.

Critical Theories of Anti-Semitism
JONATHAN JUDAKEN

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Apr 27

How strange! This is what I’m getting.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Apr 23

Wow, Academia.edu, I most definitely did not give you permission to have your AI read and summarize what I posted there!! (And it has spelling mistakes.) I can’t figure out how to turn this off and I am pissed! #academicsky #highered

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Apr 23

#Lutheran colleagues, if it's been a hot minute since you studied Paul in seminary, you'll want to check out A Jewish Paul by @mattthiessen.bsky.social It's very accessible (and short) and reviews the four new(ish) schools of Pauline thought. For Lutherans, the new Paul stuff is super important. 1/

Book titled A Jewish Paul: The Messiah's Hearld to the Gentiles, by Matthew Thiessen.

Kayko Driedger Hesslein@crtcltheology· Apr 22

Dr. Professor. These titles indicate my expertise and my responsibility towards those who use them, as well as to whom I am accountable. My first name does none of that. #highered #academicsky