“I’m a 7!”
That is what I was on the Enneagram wheel of personality.
I guess that’s a pretty cool number. It did fit my personality, and it does describe me pretty well. I am energetic, the life of the party, extroverted, and curious, but I can get bored easily, try to run from bad stuff, become restless, and on and on. To add to the awesomeness of being a 7, I was a wing 6 (or was it an 8?); I can’t remember. Then, when I was failing as a 7, I went to a… 1? When I was doing well, I went to a 5. Truth be told, I never understood all that. Since I cannot remember all the wings and what number I went to when, I will not waste my time Googling it. I am thankful I cannot remember because it means I have been far removed for a few years.
What does a silly old personality test have to do with anything? What’s the big deal? Why would I even bother bringing it up?
I bother because it has become a huge deal in the Church. I bother because I believed it was some sort of wonderful spiritual thing I should pay attention to. However, that is not the whole story. I (and many people around me) began defining ourselves by our number. What is worse, we made excuses for our “bad” behavior and called it the “unhealthy” side of our number. If you were an unhealthy version of your number, it probably meant you needed to do some emotional digging, some deep thinking, and try to figure out why your number-self was doing what it was doing.
I might have the cart before the horse here.
If you are not familiar with the Enneagram, I’ll tell you that it is a personality test, like finding out what kind of animal you are or what house at Hogwarts you might live in.
If you are familiar with the Enneagram, using it, or believe it is no big deal… we need to talk.
Many people will tell you it is harmless. Some will say it is divine, from the ancient, sacred people of who knows when. Others would say it has helped them be a better version of themselves. One person told me that the Bible is good, but the Enneagram explains people in ways the Bible does not. (True story)
It is not harmless. It is not divine. It is not ancient. And it by no means offers me a better understanding of who I am, the condition I am in, or the potential I can have in God better than the Bible.
There are two points in this post:
A summary of the origins of the Enneagram with sources.
A defense of Scripture and its sufficiency to describe who we are, what we need, what the answers are for our issues, and how the Enneagram is incompatible with the Bible.
Origin Story
While I could fill this article with information about the Enneagram’s origin, you should take the time to read a few things, listen to a few podcasts, and even read a book. Many people have done extensive work on the origins and history of the Enneagram.
Marcia Montenegro.
Marcia was on Alisa Childers’ podcast talking about the Enneagram. I was captivated. Then, I was thrilled and mortified when I realized what I had been involved in. There is a two-part series on Alisa’s YouTube channel here and here.
Marcia has written a book with documented research about the Enneagram called “Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret.” Get it here on Amazon.
American Gospel TV has a nine-part series on the Enneagram. For a small subscription fee, you can gain access to these videos.
To summarize, the Enneagram was not something formed and fashioned by mystic monks. It did not come from ancient Christians. It has a dark and recent history. You do not have to go far to discover its origins, which are not in Christianity.
The personalities, Ennea-types, came from Claudio Naranjo through the ritual of automatic writing, which he admits to here. Automatic writing is the practice of sitting in silence, opening yourself up to whatever influences in the spiritual world, and then letting your hand write whatever comes to you. This is where the ennea-types originated.
The Sufficiency of the Bible
My greatest concern is someone’s felt need to have something other than God’s word tell them something about themselves.
Now, before anyone jumps on me about how I might be suggesting we should not take personal inventory of ourselves, let me assure you I am not suggesting that. I suggest the Bible already tells us to do that (See Galatians 5:16-6:10; Ephesians 4:17-5:21; Colossians 3:1-17).
I am also not saying that we should not use extra-biblical things like counseling or the testimony of others to help discover some things about ourselves. Again, these are substantiated by the Word (See Philippians 2:1-4; 1 Thess 3:11-13; James 5:13-16).
The Enneagram supposedly gives you insight into your personality, your feelings, strengths, and weaknesses. It is supposedly a way to discover more about yourself, how to connect with God, how to handle stress, people, or life in general.
The thing is, the Bible covers all of this.
I don’t need the Enneagram to tell me I am selfish, quick to anger, easily bored, greedy, and reckless (all “7” stuff). This is simply called sin. In the Enneagram, you are both the problem and the hero. You are to know when you are disintegrating into your number across the triangle and when you should head for your strong number across the way. You have to be able to have such a clear understanding of yourself so that you know what to do when you feel your number heading in the wrong direction.
My friends, this is a trap.
The Scripture is sufficient to describe who we are in the light of God, who we are apart from Jesus, and who we are after we come to faith in him. We are people in need of a Savior. The Scripture is sufficient to help us know what to do, how to obey, what to repent of, and how to come under the leadership and authority of Jesus, who does the transforming of our hearts.
My hard work as a “7” left me trapped in these thoughts: “I’ll never not be a 7, so I guess I’ll never be able to be anything else.” I got to where I lamented, “I can’t be the problem and the solution.”
Ahhhh, but what about the Christian version? Can’t God redeem anything? Even though it’s not Christian, can God use it? (That is a different post.)
“Jesus will help you become the best version of your number because he created you to be that!”
Nonsense.
I am not a 7. And I don’t want to be the best version of myself. I want to be what He wants me to be - transformed into the likeness of His Son.
By the grace of God, I am His child, created to be formed into His image based on His word, not based on the made-up, so-called personality test. This is deception. Are we so ignorant to think our enemy, who has been watching, tempting, and lying to humanity from the beginning, doesn’t know the general tendencies of most people? It’s no wonder the Enneagram hits so personally. Our enemy knows us.
I implore those who are in the Enneagram to do your research, come out from the deception, and get back to the safe place of God’s word.
Stay discerning, my friends.
He is sufficient.
Thank you for your work on this. I appreciated the verses you provided in the paragraphs starting with, "I'm not saying..." Important clarification when opposing the Enneagram.