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EP. 211 Mental Health and the Church Mini-Series: Saint, Sufferer, Sinner: A Holistic Approach to Mental Health in the Church W/Mike Emlet
Description
Michael welcomes CCEF faculty member and counselor Mike Emlet, who has served at CCEF since 2001 and previously trained and worked in family medicine before attending Westminster Seminary. Emlet and the Michael discuss how mental health concerns have grown in prominence in the church, influenced by factors like the pandemic and social media, and why a biblical approach must be holistic, recognizing humans as embodied souls affected by the fall in both body and heart. They warn against extremes of over-spiritualizing mental illness or reducing it to biology, and they challenge the church’s tendency to abdicate care to outside experts while affirming the need for professional help in severe cases. Emlet commends a hopeful yet humble posture, careful listening beyond diagnostic labels, and using the “saint, sufferer, sinner” framework to move toward and care for people.
00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:00 Meet Mike Emlet
02:55 Mental Health Landscape
05:46 Embodied Souls Balance
08:42 Church Role in Care
10:46 Hopeful Humble Posture
12:57 Saint Sufferer Sinner
14:34 Why He Wrote It
16:44 Meeting Suffering First
19:41 Listen and Move Toward
21:22 Closing Thanks
Episode Mentions
CCEF
Saints, Sufferers, Sinners: Loving Others as God Loves Us