Introduction
To aide Christians seeking insight and discernment about the enneagram based on my experience as someone who went from an “enneagram enthusiast” to exposer of it’s subtle pulls away from the full truth of God, during my journey of seeking to become a sanctified vessel, useful for kingdom work in Christ.
2 Timothy 2:20-21
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Testimony of conviction
For about five years, I was really into the enneagram. I used to describe it to people as a very accurate personality tool that gives thorough explanations about underlying motives behind our behaviours, especially the ones that confound us. When I started listening to Susanne Stabile’s podcast where she goes into explaining the deeper concepts of the enneagram, I got more and more interested. It became something that a few people in my close circle would talk about regularly, in a good natured way. It made us laugh and made us feel that we understood each other better.
It’s like we each held a jolly, colourful balloon with our assigned number on it, and we carried them around wherever we went. We would look at our balloons and compare them to each other. We would examine them carefully and see our reflection clearly in the shine, and exclaim “that’s so me!” And when others would mock our balloons, we would feel defensive, pointing out that they also have a balloon, even if they refuse to hold it.
So what popped my balloon?
The first prick was when I heard the sentence “Sarah says that the enneagram is occult.” I swatted away the needle by shrugging it off as Christians being too sensitive. But already at that point, I hadn’t been holding my balloon so tight. I was already on a journey of seeking God more. The more I sought God, the less I paid attention to my enneagram number and the less it brought me any delight. The needle returned about a month or two later after Steven and I did a fast and sought God to reveal truth in our lives as we were seeking to get more in-alignment with Him.
After watching a sermon by Derek Prince, Steven pointed out to me that the enneagram may fall into the category of divination. At this poke, I decided that I had to go to God and find out the full truth. I declared that I would no longer read or think about the enneagram until God showed me if it was safe and acceptable, as I hoped it was, or if it wrong in the eyes of God.
I won’t go into detail but over the following weeks, I received signs from different places and various Christians at the most unexpected moments. I prayed about it frequently and during one sincere prayer, I just understood from within my core that I needed to repent of it and put it in my past. So, I did.
After letting the enneagram go, I realized that it wasn’t so much a balloon, but more like a weight I’d been carrying around. I felt lighter in my mind. There was a welcome peace and silence during my interactions with people, as I realized how much I had been analyzing words and behaviour with the enneagram always in the back of my mind. I felt free to grow and hopeful at the prospect of becoming more than my best, most “healthy” enneagram self.
Case against the enneagram
Note: Some parts of the following argument are in response to arguments presented by Christians who challenged me with questions trying to validate the enneagram. Hopefully, my wider audience will be able to follow and understand.
1: What is the enneagram and where does it come from?
First, I want to start off by saying what it is not.
It is not an object. It is not a Christmas tree. It is not food. It is not a crystal. It is not a tangible thing. Any arguments or comparisons to that, doesn’t make any logical sense to me, because it is not in the same category.
Is it not a science text book. It’s not like reading about gravity as a force of nature. Understanding or studying a force of nature does not influence how we think of ourselves, relate to others, and how we can improve ourselves.
It is not a day or a holiday.
It’s often called a tool. Is it a tool? A tool is something that you use for a specific purpose and then put it away when you’re finished with it. In the Marriage Course, they gave us a “communication tool” where we followed steps and the purpose was to turn a fight or argument into an active listening conversation. It is a tool that we sometimes pull out and then put it away. I see that someone could argue that the enneagram is like that, but I think the enneagram is way more than that. It goes beyond being just a tool, since it gives loads of information. It is not the internet (which is a tool); it is a text on a webpage on the internet (information).
The writers of enneagram books tote the enneagram as “wisdom,” which I’ll discuss later on.
So what is the enneagram? I categorize it as knowledge. It is knowledge that describes personalities and can explain a person’s behaviours inside and out. And if we are going to compare it to something, I think the origin is extremely important.
Whether or not you want to believe it, the enneagram originates from people who were deeply into occult practices. There is written proof from those teachers where they got the knowledge from. The pentagram itself is ancient (also occult), but the knowledge of the 9 personalities is not ancient. It was not written by a phycologist studying human behaviour in a scientific manner. The enneagram came from people who were interacting with evil spirits, then brought it into psychology.
“It was left to another occultist, Óscar Ichazo, to connect the Enneagram to personality. Ichazo claimed to have discovered the personality type meaning of the Enneagram when it was taught to him by the Archangel Metraton while he was high on mescaline.” (TheGospelCoalition.org, The FAQs: What Christians Should Know About the Enneagram).
One definition of occult as an adjective is: “beyond the range of ordinary knowledge or experience; mysterious.”
Knowledge. The enneagram is knowledge.
Isn’t it interesting that Adam and Eve were not supposed to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Note the word “good.” The knowledge was not all evil, but good! God was the one who made the tree and put it there. Regardless, God did not want them to have that knowledge in them. We know how the rest of the story went. They were CURSED for eating of that tree. When God curses, it is like a legal document. It is official, and there are consequences.
Recently, we are learning that when people get involved in witchcraft or new age teaching, they bring a curse on themselves by accepting knowledge, teachings from demons, which legally allows demons to have access to them. We do not know where the enneagram falls in this system, but I have concern about it.
Even if one cannot accept that it comes from the occult, it is still worldly knowledge and wisdom, with very mysterious origins (refer back to definition of occult). We know what the bible says about worldly wisdom:
1 Corinthians 3:18-20
Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
It seems like becoming a fool in this passage is insinuating becoming humble or aiming to know less of worldly knowledge, rather than more of it.
Furthermore, 2 Timothy 2:16 reads “But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.” The definition for “profane” is: “relating or devoted to that which is not sacred or biblical; secular rather than religious.”
To me, that sounds like a category the enneagram would fit under.
2: Truth
Is there truth in the enneagram? I think there is enough truth in the enneagram to be extremely convincing. Now that I’ve taken a step back, I’ve been questioning a lot of the “truth” I accepted. When I was into it, I would make excuses for the parts that didn’t fit me instead of just accepting that it wasn’t fully accurate at describing me as I am. I might even wonder if it’s the “me” that Satan wants me to be and to remain my entire life.
What does seem true is that humans have free will and make decisions from their minds, hearts and deeds.
I want to point out what seems very untrue.
Each vice that was assigned to each type is misleading. It is not true that each person has one main sin or vice that rules them and they must try to overcome. That might be one sin we struggle with but the truth is, everyone has a multitude of sins to overcome, and that is why everyone needs forgiveness through the blood of Jesus and leading of the Holy Spirit.
When we accept the forgiveness of God by putting our trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour of our soul, he gives us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit should be our #1 guide in our personal growth and spiritual journey. Even Christian enneagram teachers make bold claims and promises of what the enneagram can do for us in areas of ourselves that should be reserved for the Holy Spirit.
3: Tool of the devil
A few nights ago, I woke up from a dream. I was awake in bed and just letting my mind drift when a thought came to me. It was, “The enneagram allows demons to hide.” I frowned, and let that thought just hang there for a moment. Then I brought it to God and I said, what does this mean, God? Is this thought from me or from you? I don’t know for sure. The next day I thought about it more and tried to test it to see if it’s true.
Here’s a scenario to think about. Let’s say someone has an unclean spirit of rage dwelling in them and they don’t know it. Maybe they’ve struggled with anger and rage their whole life, partly because they are human, but also because of this hidden spirit that causes them to go beyond what’s “normal.” Now, let’s say they are a 1 or an 8 on the enneagram, which means they fall into the anger triad. Suddenly, when they discover the enneagram, they have a reasonable explanation as to why they experience so much anger and pent up rage, more than other people. So, their acceptance of the enneagram “truth” allows the demon to keep hiding. That person remains blind to the deliverance they need with the help of the Holy Spirit.
The same scenario could happen with any type of demon. A spirit of pride can be explained away by the enneagram if someone is a number that struggles with that vice. A spirit of fear, a spirit of depression, and so on can all be explained away. The enneagram does not address the outside evil that could be lurking and influencing our behaviour, thus, many people remain in bondage.
Looking back, it has always seemed strange to me that the enneagram type 1 hears a belittling, ever-critiquing, bulling, berating voice in their head, and, according to enneagram teaching, the voice is just a characteristic of that type of person. There are three different possibilities of voices we hear in our heads. There is the Holy Spirit, which does not talk that way, the human spirit, and an evil spirit. The enneagram leads type 1s to accept that it’s their human spirit – just part of who they are. It fails to caution them of voices in their heads. Enneagram teachers like Suzanne Stabile encourage 1s to practice distinguishing it from their normal thoughts so that they can ignore it or tell it to stop talking. Ignoring it does not get rid of it, if it is an evil spirit. It is happy to hide.
Evil is always in search of a way in. If it can’t go through the gate, it will climb over a wall. One of my biggest concerns is that by believing the enneagram, we could be opening ourselves up to hosting even more evil spirits than we know. Our beliefs can be like an open window for them to sneak in. I don’t say this to incite fear, but because it is a possibility we should be aware of.
In a booklet about spiritual warfare by Jim Miller, a missionary among first nations people in Canada, Miller writes:
Given the current view that many Evangelical Christians hold in regards to demons, wicked spirits have adapted their tactics. Their goals to thwart the plans of God, to cause destruction, have not changed but they use a more subtle approach. A person from North American culture that is under attack from the enemy may not even know that they are a target. Even things as simple as stray thoughts regarding one’s self, off-hand comments by people they know, these can all compile into a crushing weight. (Dealing with Darkness, 2011)
This is why it’s so important that “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
4: How does it compare to God’s word?
When it comes to instructions about the self once we are Christians, the bible teaches that we should deny ourselves and that our identity is in Christ. Please read every verse and take a moment to consider each one.
A. We should DENY ourselves.
Luke 9:23
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Mark 8:34
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.
B. Our identity is in Christ
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Colossians 3:3
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Ephesians 4:22-24
To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind (that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.)
Colossians 2:7
Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Galatians 4:7
So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
1 Corinthians 2:16
“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:30
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
Ephesians 5:8
For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Accepting our identity in Christ, to learn more about who we are, we must learn more about Jesus – his life, his character, his words, his actions, his demeanour, his will, etc. We can never cease to learn more about our identity in Christ by reading the word of God, spending time in prayer and connecting with the Holy Spirit.
Compare what those verses say to what The Road Back to You (A best-selling Enneagram book by proclaimed Christians) says about itself:
“The road back to you, an enneagram journey to self-discovery”: Ignorance is bliss―except in self-awareness. What you don't know about yourself can hurt you and your relationships―and even keep you in the shallows with God. Do you want help figuring out who you are and why you're stuck in the same ruts? The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system with an uncanny accuracy in describing how human beings are wired, both positively and negatively. In The Road Back to You Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile forge a unique approach―a practical, comprehensive way of accessing Enneagram wisdom and exploring its connections with Christian spirituality for a deeper knowledge of ourselves, compassion for others, and love for God.
All the bolded text are red flags to me, but the most concerning part is it claims that to have a deeper relationship and more love for God, we need to be self-aware and have knowledge about our human selves. That does not match what the bible teaches.
In 2 Peter 1:2-4, it is clear that the only knowledge we need to live a godly life is through knowledge of God:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5. Redemption
BUT can Christ redeem the enneagram?
If you’re following me, that is asking: can Christ redeem knowledge and information that is not from God? I think it’s like asking “Can Christ redeem the Koran?” or “Can Christ redeem a book about reiki healing?” Both have intentions of teaching for the betterment of man, and seem to include some amount of truth, otherwise people wouldn’t passionately take hold of it and pass it around. Both have something in common with the enneagram – the authors or discoverers of those “truths” received that knowledge from spirits dressed as angels of light, “…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:13
I think the only way to “redeem” something that didn’t come from God, is to renounce it, dispose of any material and expose it as something to avoid in our testimonies to others of how God brings us out of the devil’s snares. That might sound too extreme, but it wasn’t for first century Christians.
Look at Acts 19:18-20:
“And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totalled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
Those who were into occult, pagan practices renounced their books publicly by burning them. It’s interesting that they went a step further to actually count the value of the books destroyed. In my NIV footnotes, it says each coin was worth about one day’s wages. The total sum reveals just how much money, time and resources these people had dedicated into gaining demonic knowledge about magic, and in the act of burning all that worldly worth, they boldly declared that Jesus and following God is that much more valuable.
My favourite line is the last one. It starts with “So” (or “therefore,” or in other translations “in this way”), meaning that because of the aforementioned way these people renounced the occult, “the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” That is so encouraging to me. Once we renounce the occult in our lives, expose it and devalue it’s worth, God is able to move in and have victory in both our lives and others.
When Christians who are genuinely seeking God take a serious inward look at themselves and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the idols, and reveal the wicked ways in them, God will reveal them! But he leaves it up to us to remove them. That reminds me of the Old Testament; there were times when the Israelites and kings chose to allow high places and altars to other gods to remain in the land. And then there were times when God’s chosen people decided to take those structures down and utterly destroy them. Personally, I want to utterly destroy any idol and any wicked instrument that I’ve allowed in my temple so that I will become a sanctified vessel for God.
6. The enneagram is not our Groom
BUT what about our “enneagram testimonies”? What about all the good the enneagram has done for us and our relationships?
I genuinely thought it helped me, but now my prayer is for God to erase everything I learned about the enneagram from my mind. Why is it so easy then to dispose of something that was so helpful? The enneagram gave us the illusion of help, but I’m content to put it in the past and not dwell on it because of my convictions. How much better can the Holy Spirit do for us and our relationships? Learning to hear and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit is not as easy as reading and understanding the enneagram. It will take more time, and patience, waiting on the Lord, and surrendering everything to him. But then we will become more like Him, not more like the healthiest version of our enneagram type. We will have a testimony to share about how the Holy Spirit has done a good work in us, and we don’t need to give credit to something from the world.
I can also say that since I’ve renounced the enneagram and stopped living by it, I feel more free. It is interesting to realize what a burden all that knowledge had become without me even realizing it. It put my mind in the habit of being ultra self-aware, analyzing every action, feeling and motivation to come to me, not to mention over-analyzing others. Sometimes someone does something unusual to us. Why don’t we learn to just accept people for who they are without knowing the ins and outs about why they are the way they are and why they do the things they do?
Ephesians 5:8-14
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:
“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
Conclusion
“The bottom line is that it’s a bit unknown the depths of how evil it is, but because of what we know, we should be wise in steering clear of it. Let’s not dabble in anything that has even the smallest connection to evil.” These are the words of my sister-in-law who also decided to give up the enneagram.
The purpose of writing all this is not to condemn people or put guilt on anyone, but to encourage Christians to scrutinize the enneagram as a tool of Satan and look to God’s word for guidance. If anyone has any biblical support in favour of the enneagram, I would be very eager to listen and be corrected if I’m wrong about anything.
A final verse to consider is James 3:13-17, where it actually talks about self-seeking:
“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
The enneagram offers self-knowledge which fits so seamlessly into our society right now. The dominant culture is obsessed with both knowledge and the self. However, based on the scripture I’ve shared, I’m convinced that the bride of Christ needs to put aside the enneagram, and look to her groom.
