Top Ten Reasons To Run From The Enneagram

 

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  (Colossians 2:8)

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  (1 John 4:1)

Examining The Enneagram

For the past few years, the Enneagram has been steadily increasing in popularity, including within the Church. As with any new(er) teaching that is introduced, believers have a great responsibility to thoroughly examine and accurately vet it according to Scripture (Acts 17:11; Is 8:19-20; 1 Thess 5:21; 1 Jn 4:5-6). Of course, this is especially true if we are going to teach any particular idea to others.

By now, after several years of increasing popularity of the Enneagram, there are many people who have already done the heavy lifting when it comes to researching and distinguishing the problems in the Enneagram (see links below). For our purposes here, we will simply list the main problems and reasons why believers should stay far away from this decidedly unbiblical ideology, and, instead, should lovingly warn others (Jas 5:19-20).

Top Ten Reasons You Should Run From The Enneagram (Especially If You’re A Christian)

1. OCCULT ORIGINS | Simply put, the source of the Enneagram is the occult. It was derived through the occult practice of “automatic writing,” which is when a spiritual entity uses a human to “automatically” write words without the author’s mind engaged (cp. 1 Jn 4:1-6; Jas 3:15). The books A Course in Miracles (Helen Schucman) and God Calling (A.J. Russell), both New Age classics—as well as the more recent Jesus Calling (Sarah Young), modeled after God Calling—were all penned through automatic writing.
2. UNGODLY COUNSEL | The Enneagram gives a great deal of counsel regarding life, love, and relationships—but this counsel is clearly the “counsel of the ungodly” (Ps 1:1ff; Col 2:8). It comes from those who have decidedly rejected the Spirit of truth and God’s Word of truth (1 Jn 4:1-6; 1 Tim 4:1-2).
3. UNSCRIPTURAL | The teachings cannot be supported by Scripture, and they go against God’s Word (Is 8:19-20; 2 Pet 2:1-2; Acts 17:11).
4. WORLDLY WISDOM | The Enneagram is not based in objective reality, truth, reason, or Scripture. At best, it is the world’s wisdom/man’s wisdom, which God calls “foolishness” (1 Cor 3:18-20). Not to mention the fact that the ultimate source of the Enneagram is the occult and mysticism.
5. HARMFUL | Although the main argument for the Enneagram seems to be, “It’s a helpful tool,” this does not add up (nor do any of the rationales used). There may be some truth in it—just like all other false teachings and deceptive ideologies (cp. Gen 3:6; Gal 5:9)—but that does not make it true or okay to use. In fact, just the opposite is true. “We can use it as a helpful tool” is a classic warning sign for when erroneous and harmful ideas or practices are being introduced.
6. WARNED AGAINST BY GOD | Instead of encouraging us to use the Enneagram, or other things like this, God does the polar opposite. He tells us to stay far away from such things, to have nothing to do with them, to expose them so others can be warned, and to help those who have been ensnared and harmed by deception (2 Jn 1:7-11; Eph 5:11; Col 2:8; Jas 5:19-20; 2 Tim 2:24-26).
7. UNIVERSALIST | The main proponents of the Enneagram today are, at a minimum, very New Age-ish and mystical, if not outright universalists (e.g., believing there is no need to be saved, no need to share the gospel, as there is no separation between us and God; cp. Jer 23:14-22). They likely have a low, if not adversarial, view of Scripture. Also, almost all Christians who are former New Agers (at least those with a high view of God’s Word) are alarmed by the usage of the Enneagram, and warn of the dangers and deceit therein.
8. WEAKENS DEPENDENCY ON GOD & HIS WORD | The Enneagram weakens, deceives, and harms people by taking them away from the purity, power, and perfection of Scripture (Ps 18:30; 19:7-11; Mk 4:13-20), by weakening their dependency on God and His Word (Matt 4:4; Mk 4:20; 2 Tim 3:15-4:5; 2 Pet 1:3-4), and by redirecting their life and hope into an erroneous ideology rather than to God and His sufficient Word of life (cp. Phil 2:15-16; Jer 2:13; Ps 1:1-3; Col 2:8).
9. SELF FOCUSED | The Enneagram ideology encourages us to discover our “true self,” to get in touch with our true nature, to realize self-actualization—all of which are teachings and pursuits in line with humanism, the world’s wisdom, and the New Age. These are all opposite of what the Bible teaches (Col 2:8; Ps 1:1-3; Lk 9:23-24; 2 Cor 5:15).
10. MAN-MADE IDEOLOGY | God not only designed us, He is the author of everything, including life, love, and relationships. Yet man rebelled against God, His Word, and His design (Gen 3:1-6; 6:5; Rom 3:10-18), and continues to pervert and defy God’s ways (2 Pet 2:1-2; 3:16-17). Therefore, we need to always seek to understand ourselves, our relationships, and our identity biblically—in relation to God and His grace, truth, love, and sufficiency—as we refrain from relying on and identifying ourselves with man-made constructs and ideology (Col 2:8; Ps 1:1-3; Jas 3:15; 1 Cor 2:12-14).

Painful Consequences Of The Enneagram

Believing and living according to man’s wisdom and falsehoods is not merely “wrong.” It always, always, always has painful consequences. When we buy into, believe, and apply the world’s wisdom—and the Enneagram certainly qualifies as such—then we conform to and become more like the world (and the world’s wisdom and ways), and less like God and His Word. This behavior is not only a flagrant violation of Scripture (Rom 12:2; Jas 1:27; 4:4; 1 Jn 2:15-17; 4:5-6), it leads to incalculable deception and harm for us, and for others (Eph 4:14; 1 Tim 1:19; 4:1-2; 6:20-21; 2 Tim 2:16-18; 2:25-3:9; 4:3-4; cp. Jas 5:19-20).

Furthermore, there are several important reasons why Christians are different from non-Christians, and should be wholly distinct from those in the world. One major difference between believers and non-believers is that—by God’s grace, truth, and Spirit—we have a different spirit. However, if we claim Christ, yet seek to rely on the world’s wisdom and “the spirit of the world,” rather than on the Spirit of truth, then this “foolishness” will absolutely grieve God, thwart the blessings that God freely gives us, and lead to pain and destruction in our lives.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. … But we have the mind of Christ.
(1 Corinthians 2:12-14, 16)

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.
(1 Corinthians 3:19)

Discerning The Enneagram

I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
(Colossians 2:4)

The good news is that we can redeem any damage done by learning how to better discern, now, and in the future. With that in mind, let’s examine one common way we deceive ourselves, and perhaps mislead others. This, in turn, will better equip us, and strengthen us in the truth, in truth-based love, and in how we love God and others.

The main argument and justification used by many Christians—including some wonderful, biblical believers—for using unbiblical ideology such as the Enneagram is that “It’s just a helpful tool” (or something similar).

While this “fine-sounding argument” is both misleading and false, it also exposes a much bigger problem: It changes the standard and criteria by which we discern and judge what is true, biblical, and loving. In other words, instead of directing us to God and God’s Word, it redirects us to something else (e.g., a weak and faulty criterion).

Nevertheless, this also presents a great opportunity to improve our discernment so that we can better distinguish truth from error. This, in turn, will help us better love according to the truth, and avoid deception and harm.

So, when it comes to ideas and books we might apply to our lives, and the lives of others, the primary question and concern should not be, “Is it helpful?” or, “How does it make you feel?” or, “Does it work?” Those questions may have value in certain situations, but they all miss the mark when it comes to the superlative standard for biblical Christians.

Helpful Questions To Ask

In order to help us discern, think biblically, and vet ideas, including the Enneagram, according to the Word of God, here are the primary questions Christians should ask and answer:

1. Is it biblical, or not? (Acts 17:11) Just this one question and answer is often more than sufficient.
2. Which Bible verses give strong and unambiguous support for this—or, instead, conflict with it and show it to be unbiblical? (Is 8:19-20; 2 Tim 2:15-17; 3:15-4:5)
3. What is the source? (1 Jn 4:5-6; Ps 1:1-3; Col 2:8; Jas 3:15, 17; Jer 2:13)
4. Who, specifically, is behind this, and how biblical are their beliefs about Jesus, His Word, the gospel, salvation, sin, love, justice, etc.? (2 Cor 11:3-4; 13-15; Gal 1:6-9; Jer 23:12-12; Jude 1:3ff)
5. What objective evidence can I find to support using this (biblically), or to show that this is false, harmful, and unbiblical? (Is 1:18; 8:19-20; Jas 3:15-17)
6. How necessary is this idea, teaching, or practice? In other words, to what degree is this a need for Christians to learn and adopt, or do we already have something better in God and His Word? Does this redirect us away from the sufficiency of God and God’s Word, and toward something similar to “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”? (cp. Gen 3:1ff; Ps 1:1-3; 19:7-11; 2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:3-4)

Of course, we could just start and stop with that first question. However, each of the above six questions point us back to God’s written Word as the standard by which all teachings must be examined (Acts 17:11; Is 8:19-20). And that is our overall goal and ultimate standard in confirming truth and distinguishing truth from error, just as it was for Jesus (e.g., Jn 17:17; Matt 4:4, 7, 10). Yet, when we add other subjective and misleading criteria, then the Word of God is less and less likely to be the determining factor in our decisions, and in life (Ps 1:1-3; Jer 2:13; 23:14-22; 1 Cor 1:17-25; 2:1-16; 3:18-20).

More On The Enneagram

The popular Enneagram book The Road Back to You, read and recommended by many Christians, begins and ends with a very “New Age” prayer, one that is overt in its universalist worldview. Here is what it says: “May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe” (pp 18-19, 230). Such a “prayer,” in and of itself, should be a powerful warning for Christians when it comes to the unbiblical ideas found within the philosophy of the Enneagram.

Below are some additional resources for further study. While these are helpful in pointing out the many specific problems of the Enneagram, God’s Word alone is, of course, abundantly clear on this subject. In addition to straightforward verses like: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them,” there are a myriad of Scriptures that warn us about getting involved in something that is so far removed from truth, in clear violation of the truth, and anti-Scriptural at its core (e.g., Col 2:8; 2 Jn 1:7-11; 2 Cor 6:14; 1 Jn 4:1-6; 2 Pet 2:1-2).

May we always look to His perfect Word as the absolute and final authority on any idea, method, or philosophy that we come across, including the Enneagram.

 

• The Enneagram—An Enlightening Tool or an Enticing Deception?  [BOOKLET]

Relatively concise booklet explaining the New Age, panentheism, and mysticism in and through the Enneagram and the many problematic individuals behind it

• Christian Answers For The New Age  [WEBSITE]

A website (run by a former New Ager) which contains copious amounts of information and research on the countless problems, dangers, and deception involved with the Enneagram

• 20 New Age Practices Infiltrating The Church  [ARTICLE]

Warnings for the church, including the Enneagram, from a former bestselling New Age author and psychologist

• Richard Rohr & The Enneagram Secret  [BOOK]

A recent book on the subject of the Enneagram from a Christian perspective

• Decoding The Enneagram  [PODCAST]

The first part of an in-depth discussion on the problems of the Enneagram

• Decoding The Origins Of The Enneagram  [BLOG]

Thorough overview of where the Enneagram came from and why Christians should avoid it completely

• Occult Roots Of The Enneagram  [VIDEO]

Short video (less than 2 minutes) telling Christians all they need to know about the origins of the Enneagram

 

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