Does the Enneagram of Personality contradict the Bible?
What is known as the “Enneagram of Personality” or the “Traditional Enneagram” is a complex
system of understanding individuals that some tout as the most dynamic and open of the various
typologies, offer as a path to liberation or self-actualization, and even promote as a way to know
God.
The enneagram test follows some psychological theory, however, the validity of the test remains
ambiguous. Operating much like a horoscope, the enneagram test makes broad generalities with
personality descriptions that embody character traits many people can relate to. Additionally, the
enneagram test was created by humans, which means people should be skeptical of possible
flaws and partiality.&
However, despite its generalities and flaws, an argument often made to support the enneagram
test in Christian societies is that it allows people to understand their spiritual gifts, as well as
sinful tendencies. The Gospel Coalition reports that a major problem with this argument is that
spiritual gifts cannot be traced with laboratory-like DNA. Personality traits, spiritual gifts and sin
cannot be defined by a 40-question survey. A questionnaire may be helpful in understanding
strengths and weaknesses, but it should not be used to determine and define personalities. Many
people, including Biola students, have allowed the enneagram test to do just that.&
It is not uncommon to hear a statement at Biola much like the one described in Psychology
Today, “Well as a three, I felt like I really needed to finish the 10k in less than an hour.” College
students often detest GPAs and Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, saying they do not want to be
defined by a number. However, when it comes to the enneagram test, students are more than
willing to be defined by a number given to them in a survey. For many, this impacts the
decisions that they make and how they perceive their own self-image.
JUDGING OTHERS"
Not only do people allow the enneagram test to define themselves, they also let the test define
their perception of others. When approaching conversations and asking friends what enneagram
type they are, people often let that answer form biases about their personality, actions and
beliefs, without actually getting to know their personality through asking deeper questions or
assuming their answers correlate with their enneagram type.&
According to The Gospel Coalition, discovering spiritual gifts and understanding how strengths
and weaknesses interact with others can be found through getting involved in the lives of others,
especially through church and loving others just as Jesus did. An enneagram number should not
be used to define the judgments of others. Instead, as Christians, when it comes to relationships,
we should love others as Jesus did and allow the time that we spend in thoughtful conversation
and love of that person define our relationship with others.&&
COMPLEXITY OF PERSONALITY"
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul addresses the importance of unity and diversity of all Christians in the
body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:27, Paul states, “Now, you are the body of Christ, and each
one of you is a part of it.” The enneagram should not be used to define our identity as Christians
and determine how we judge others that have equally valuable identities in Christ, rather our
identity should be defined in Christ through Scripture. Every person is valuable and every person
has gifts given by Christ. These gifts should not be defined by an enneagram number, but by the
one who predetermined and chose our gifts and personalities before we even existed.&
The enneagram test is only a fad. As believers and followers of Christ, we should not waste our
time trying to define ourselves with an enneagram number that will not matter five years from
now. Instead, we should spend our time finding our identity in Christ through Scripture and
learning to love others in representing Christ, rather than labeling ourselves and others with a
number.
The Enneagram is a geometric symbol containing nine points and nine (or more) intersecting
lines (the Greek word for “nine” was ennea). The symbol dates to Pythagoras and was
introduced to the West by George Gurdjieff in the 1900s. In the 1960s, occult teacher Oscar
Ichazo linked the symbol with nine different personality types. Ichazo taught a system of 108
Enneagrams, but the ones that caught on in the United States were those of the Passions, the
Virtues, the Fixations, and the Holy Ideas. Ichazo’s aim was to explain the difference between
Essence and personality (or ego). He believed every person is, in his Essence, perfect and in
unity within himself as well as with the cosmos. However, the Essence is distorted into the ego.
Ichazo saw the Ennegram as a way to examine how that distortion occurs.
There are a variety of modern theories regarding the Enneagram. The current Enneagram of
Personality comes from Claudio Naranjo’s expansion of Ichazo’s work with later expansions
made by Don Riso and Russ Hudson. The idea of nine personality types is based on the concept
of the nine divine forms (Plato and, later, Plotinus), the seven deadly sins, and Kabbalah
traditions. Ichazo was influenced by many religious, occultic, and philosophical traditions
including mystical Judaism (Kabbalah), Roman Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, and
Greek philosophy. Thus, the Enneagram of Personality is a synthesis of many different ideas.
According to the Enneagram Institute, the Enneagram can help people restore balance to their
“personality structure” and develop more desirable spiritual and psychological qualities.
Believers in the Enneagram seek to unravel the mystery of their “true identity.” They see
themselves as spiritual beings who have lost contact with their true nature. Once they discover
their “true self”—by means of the Enneagram—they experience a spiritual awakening full of
freedom and joy—a “conversion,” of sorts. Thus, the Enneagram is seen as a mystical tool in
solving mankind’s problem (a lack of self-knowledge) and providing the means of salvation
(self-discovery).
The Enneagram of Personality, as popularized in the West, includes nine types of personality.
These are (1) The Reformer, (2) The Helper, (3) The Achiever, (4) The Individualist, (5) The
Investigator, (6) The Loyalist, (7) The Enthusiast, (8) The Challenger, and (9) The Peacemaker.
Each personality type also has at least one “wing.” The wings are the numbers on either side of
the basic type; for example, a type 2 (Helper) would have either a type 1 or type 3 wing, which
modifies the way in which the dominant personality is expressed. Each type also has a range of
functionality, with three levels considered healthy, three considered average, and three
considered unhealthy.
Adding to the complexity, each personality type on the Enneagram is also compared to two other
types in terms of integration (security or growth) or disintegration (stress). When under stress, a
particular type will often behave as someone in an unhealthy range of a different type would act
out. For example, according to the Enneagram, a type 2 under stress will act as an unhealthy type
8. But a type 2 moving in the direction of growth will act more like a healthy type 4.
Personality types on the Enneagram are also grouped into “Centers.” Each Center is formed of
three types that share common strengths and weaknesses. The nine types are divided into the
Instinctive Center, the Emotional Center, and the Thinking Center. Each center is further
characterized by a dominant emotion: anger, shame, and fear. The mapped-out distinctions are
meant to demonstrate a dominant way of being, not the only way of being.
Most psychological models and systems of philosophy contain some truth, and the Enneagram of
Personality is no exception. There are some ideas associated with the Enneagram that will
resonate with students of the Bible and will seem to be helpful. What is dangerous is the purpose
of the Enneagram, as presented by its most high-profile promoters:
• Roman Catholic Friar Richard Rohr writes that the Enneagram “is concerned with
change and making a turnaround, with what the religious traditions call conversion or
repentance” (Rohr, R., and Ebert, A., The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective, Crossroad
Pub. Co., 2019, p. 4).
• Another Roman Catholic author, Christopher Heuertz, believes the Enneagram is much
more than a personality tool in that it provides “nine ways we can find our way back to
God” (Heuertz, C. L., The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual
Growth, Zondervan, 2017, p. 25).
• Episcopal priest, podcaster, and self-dubbed “awakener of people” Ian Cron makes the
audacious claim that “every number on the Enneagram teaches us something about the
nature and character of the God who made us” (Cron, I. M., and Stabile, S., The Road
Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-discovery, InterVarsity, 2016, p. 228).
The problem with each of the above statements is that idea that the Enneagram, not Scripture,
provides salvation, spiritual growth, and sanctification. Christians believe in the sufficiency of
Scripture in all these matters. We cannot get to know God better through a system that bypasses
Scripture. We do not need a form of mysticism with roots in Roman Catholicism, psychological
theory, and the occult to inform our understanding of God.
When viewed as a means by which to achieve some sort of spiritual liberation or spiritual
growth, the Enneagram obviously contradicts the Bible. It “has a form of godliness but den[ies]
its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). The Enneagram Institute is correct that we are spiritual beings and
that we are not living as we were meant to. But the solution is not to get in touch with our “true
nature”; it is to cry out to God for salvation. We are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness
(Romans 3:23; 6:23), which is made available by His grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians
2:8–9). Those who are dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1) cannot achieve a spiritual awakening on their
own; they must receive the life of Christ—regardless of their personality type. In Christ we are
born again and made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is through His power at work in us that we
become righteous (Philippians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Our lives are meant to be lived for His
glory. There is nothing in the Enneagram that is derived from the Bible.
Dr. Gary Gilley, who has researched the matter in-depth, summarizes the problem with the
Enneagram: “The Enneagram remains an unproven theory, having no scientific, medical or
psychological validation, and is totally absent from the pages of Scripture” (Gilley, G. E., “The
Enneagram, Part 2,” Think on These Things, Vol. 26, Issue 3, June/July 2020, p. 4).
