EP. 211 Mental Health and the Church Mini-Series: Saint, Sufferer, Sinner: A Holistic Approach to Mental Health in the Church W/Mike Emlet

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 Welcome01:00 Meet Mike Emlet02:55 Mental Health Landscape05:46 Embodied Souls Balance08:42 Church Role in Care10:46 Hopeful Humble Posture12:57 Saint Sufferer Sinner14:34 Why He Wrote It16:44 Meeting Suffering First19:41 Listen and Move Toward21:22 Closing ThanksEpisode MentionsCCEF Saints, Sufferers, Sinners: Loving Others as God Loves Us