The Circle Dwellers Podcast

Life Mission Fellowship
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

A podcast about living out the Gospel in an intentional Christian community. We are Life Mission Fellowship--a Protestant monastic order completely dedicated to Christ, His work, and His people. This is a podcast dedicated to the ins-and-outs of living the Benedict Option. You can learn more about us at https://life-mission.org

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 49 - Why do people apostatize?

    In this episode of the Circle Dwellers Podcast, hosts Matt Krell and Timothy Krell ask why people apostatize and whether someone who has truly come to Christ can fall away. Continuing their series on open theism, foreknowledge, and salvation, they examine provisionism—a Baptist-rooted answer to Calvinism that says God has provided every means of salvation but does not cause anyone to believe—and its claim that apostasy is impossible because those who fall away were never really regenerated. Drawing on Gordon C. Olson’s moral government theology and his book Sharing Your Faith, they define apostasy not as ordinary sin or a bad week, but as a final, willful rebellion in which a person resists further light until God withdraws his gracious pursuit. They set “once saved, always saved” texts such as John 10:27–29, John 5:24, Romans 8:38–39, and Ephesians 1:13–14 beside Ezekiel 18:24, Revelation 3:5, the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18, John 15, Hebrews 3, 6, and 10, and the case of Judas, who they argue was sent out with the disciples and later crossed a line. The hosts contend that a forensic, legal theory of the atonement creates the apparent contradiction, while a relational, governmental view of the cross—Christ making it possible for God to forgive without violating moral order—keeps both Scripture and free will after conversion. For pastors and believers tired of systems that promise security while thinning out a living walk with God, the episode presses a practical claim: salvation is continued faith and repentance in relationship with Christ, not a transaction that ends free will at the moment someone gets saved.

  2. Sep 25

    Episode 48 - Greta Gerwig is DESTROYING Narnia

    Greta Gerwig’s Netflix Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew has announced Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan, a David Bowie–inspired lion design, a 1950s reset, and a start with Lewis’s prequel instead of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe—and in this Circle Dwellers Podcast episode, hosts Matt Krell and Timothy Krell argue that those choices are not small “wait and see” details but a test of whether Hollywood will adapt C.S. Lewis or treat a sacred idea as raw material. Using Lewis’s own letters, they insist Aslan is not “just a lion” or a “deity of sorts”: he is Lewis’s imaginative supposal of the second Person of the Trinity incarnate in a world of talking beasts, a figure whose masculinity, kingship, and atmosphere belong to the story’s meaning. If you are a pastor or lay Christian who still loves Narnia, distrusts thin church-as-event Christianity, and wants stories that still point to Christ rather than to the adapter’s private vision, this conversation is for you. Subscribe to the Circle Dwellers Podcast, and find Matt’s novel Twin Suns Burning on Amazon.

  3. Sep 11

    Episode 47 - Dynamic Omnicience makes more sense

    In this Circle Dwellers Podcast episode, Matt Krell and Timothy Krell of Life Mission Fellowship explain why dynamic omniscience makes more sense than exhaustive foreknowledge, Molinism, or simple foreknowledge—and why that changes how you pray, live, and relate to God. If you are a pastor or layperson weary of a church that treats the gospel as a private “get saved” transaction instead of joining the people of God, and hungry for the church as a real family rather than a program, this conversation walks through Calvinism and the problem of evil, whether God can still respond if the future is already settled, John Sanders’ “Mary, Paul, and Mark” prayer puzzle, biblical prophecy as conditional or God-determined rather than a locked timeline, and texts like Genesis 22 (“now I know”). Open theism does not shrink God; it says the future is not yet an ontological thing, so some events are definite and others are genuine possibilities—leaving room for give-and-take with a Triune God who waits on your choices, invites adventure, and wants a close relationship rather than a predetermined script.

  4. Sep 5

    Episode 46 - Dinesh D'Sousa is a Gigachad Armenian (like us)

    Dinesh D'Souza’s recent critique of Calvinism and predestination—sparked by R.C. Sproul on whether saving faith is our choice or God’s gift—set off a wave of Reformed pushback from James White and others; in this Circle Dwellers Podcast episode, hosts Matt Krell and Timothy Krell (open theists at Life Mission Fellowship) walk through D'Souza’s Arminian case that divine foreknowledge does not cause the future, then argue why that solution still leaves God bound to an unchangeable script. They contrast consistent Calvinism (God loves the elect, not everyone), classical Arminianism’s appeal to mystery, and open theism’s claim that the future is real possibility and that the real watershed is whether God allows Himself to be affected by His creatures. Along the way they take up Romans 8’s “golden chain,” limited atonement and John Owen’s trilemma, the character of God, and why they think theological determinism muddies the gospel and harms how Christians live. If you are a pastor or layperson tired of system-first religion and looking for a God you can actually relate to, this is a clear entry into the free-will vs. predestination debate without the usual Twitter slogans.

  5. Aug 28

    Episode 45 - How to write an Indie novel

    Tired of a thin “get saved and go to church” version of the Gospel and hungry for a real relationship with God inside the people of God—the church as a new family rather than a weekly event? In this Circle Dwellers Podcast conversation, hosts Matt Krell and Timothy Krell of Life Mission Fellowship walk through how Protestant monk and indie author Matt Krell spent six years writing his handcrafted Christian sci-fi fantasy novel Twin Suns Burning, now available on Amazon. Drawing on C.S. Lewis’s Planet Narnia structure and “Meditation in a Toolshed,” Matthieu Pageau’s biblical symbolism, and themes of death, immortality, and rebirth, Matt explains how a story can help readers inhabit Christian truth instead of only arguing about it from the outside—how Ellis the underground slave, Anubis the archangel of death, and a planet of supposedly immortal space elves become a path toward seeing mortality and salvation as joining God’s people. He also shares the unglamorous craft of writing an indie novel: stubborn weekly discipline, early and honest feedback from a writing community, killing your darlings so the work can take on a life of its own, and why he refused to let AI write the book. Listen if you want practical Christian living, richer imagination, and a story that points beyond escape toward the strange, costly beauty of the Gospel.

  6. Aug 28

    Episode 44 - We ranked the best (and worst) period dramas

    We rank the best and worst period dramas in this Circle Dwellers Podcast episode as hosts Matt Krell and Timothy Krell of Life Mission Fellowship go through 25 titles they have actually watched together in their intentional monastic community, placing S-tier classics such as the 1995 Pride and Prejudice, BBC Bleak House, North and South, Little Dorrit, David Copperfield, Our Mutual Friend, Sense and Sensibility, The Way We Live Now, and the Romola Garai Emma above later Downton Abbey seasons, The Other Bennett Sister, and Bridgerton. These stories of honor, nobility, family loyalty, class responsibility, pride, and moral transformation give pastors and lay Christians tired of a fragmented modern church a clearer picture of the Gospel as joining the people of God rather than isolated “getting saved,” and of the church as a new family that forms character through shared life instead of Marvel-style entertainment. Watch for practical recommendations on household viewing, why the great ones reveal the true, the good, and the beautiful in everyday manners and community bonds, and then tell us in the comments which period dramas you would rank differently.

  7. Aug 14

    Episode 43 - Don't watch sports

    In this episode of the Circle Dwellers podcast, the hosts unpack Johan Kurtz’s provocative Substack essay arguing that modern sports spectatorship is spiritually corrosive—like pornography, a hollow simulation that satisfies the craving for play and vigor without building real strength, virtue, or community. Drawing on the historic Western tradition in which physical excellence trained citizens for adversity, forged civic bonds, and honored the body as God’s temple, they contrast today’s rootless professional leagues and parasocial fandom with the genuine call for Christians to reject voyeuristic consumerism and instead cultivate embodied excellence through sports they actually practice, especially combat disciplines. Ideal for pastors and lay believers weary of a shallow gospel reduced to individual “salvation,” this conversation points toward a thicker vision of the church as a new family and of practical Christian living rooted in nobility, place, and the pursuit of holiness in body and soul.

  8. Aug 14

    Episode 42 - The Theology of Fan Culture

    What does it mean to be a fan as a Christian? In this episode of the Circle Dwellers podcast, we develop a theology of fan culture and explore how modern fandoms—from Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek, Warhammer 40K, and Breaking Bad to sports teams, online influencers, and internet personalities—can subtly become substitute loyalties that compete with our devotion to Christ and His Church. We discuss why fan culture has exploded in the age of social media, how stories shape our hearts through symbolic patterns, and why Christians shouldn't consume entertainment passively. Instead, we argue that believers should learn to discern what is true, good, and beautiful in the stories they love while rejecting the patterns that form them away from the Kingdom of God. Along the way we examine Christian discipleship, intentional community, media literacy, liturgy, Marshall McLuhan, Charles Finney, loyalty, identity, storytelling, and the challenge of raising Christians who love great stories without making them into idols. If you've ever wondered whether your hobbies, favorite franchises, or online communities are drawing you closer to God or quietly replacing the role of the Church as your primary family and loyalty, this conversation offers a thoughtful, practical framework for engaging culture without being conformed to it.

See All (53)

About

A podcast about living out the Gospel in an intentional Christian community. We are Life Mission Fellowship--a Protestant monastic order completely dedicated to Christ, His work, and His people. This is a podcast dedicated to the ins-and-outs of living the Benedict Option. You can learn more about us at https://life-mission.org

Information

  • Creator
    Life Mission Fellowship
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    53
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Life Mission Fellowship
  • Show Website
    The Circle Dwellers Podcast