What is the Enneagram?

The Enneagram has been an important tool for many Christians, helping them to better understand themselves. The Road Back to You is an introduction to the Enneagram published by InterVarsity Press. It has sold over one million copies which speaks to the interest Christians have in the Enneagram. Primarily, the Enneagram is profitable as we seek to grow to become more like Christ. It helps us to see what’s going on in our hearts at the motivational level.

Jeremiah 17:9 states: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “ If we are at all self-aware, we have to affirm that our hearts are deceitful. We see how we rationalize our behavior and defend our actions all of the time. The Enneagram is a tool that helps uncover our heart’s deceitfulness, making us aware of what’s really going on in our hearts. Some have objected to the Enneagram saying that it puts people into a box. Others respond that the Enneagram brings freedom as we see the box we are already in and how we have limited ourselves, cutting ourselves off from the work of the Spirit who will transform our character if we allow him to.

What About the Origins of the Enneagram?

People disagree about the origins of the Enneagram. Some say that it has origins in the occult and conclude that Christians should not have anything to do with it. Others say that it has origins in ancient wisdom literature going back to the 4th century and the church fathers.

Alice Fryling, points to the church fathers and shows overlap with Evagrius and his teaching on the seven deadly sins. https://enneagramtoday.com/what-is-the-enneagram-and-where-did-it-come-from/

See also Russell Moore https://www.russellmoore.com/2018/05/18/what-about-the-enneagram/

IVP Author Todd Wilson addresses an important question about the Enneagram in his forthcoming title The Enneagram Goes to Church saying,

“The question is not where did it come from, but to what end is it put? Is this wisdom in the service of Christ or not? Is this insight helping you love God and your neighbor more or not? For the Christian, this is the decisive question. If we want to think Christianly about the Enneagram, then we need to transpose its wise insights into a distinctly Christian key—the fear of the Lord. We need to frame everything it teaches in light of our reverence for God. We need to allow the lordship of Christ to shape everything we think about human personality. This is the secret. When we transpose the Enneagram into a Christian key, when we frame insights in terms of the fear of the Lord, everything changes. Rather than detracting from the Christian faith or distracting us from the serious business of Christian ministry and spiritual growth, we find that the Enneagram actually accelerates and enhances our movement in Christ-centered directions. By transposing the Enneagram into a Christian key, its valid insights become genuine wisdom in the service of Christ.” 

Wilson defends the Christian use of the Enneagram in Chapter One of The Enneagram Goes to Church (pages 21-26, specifically).

Finally, see Christianity Today's take (from John Starke): https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/november/evangelicals-guide-to-enneagram.html

https://intervarsity.org/blog/welcome-enneagram-tool-transformation

What’s NEWIM’s Position on the Enneagram?

NEWIM doesn’t have an official position for or against the use of the Enneagram. Some women in the network have found it to be an essential tool in their spiritual journey. Others are concerned that it is not a Christian tool and therefore shouldn’t be trusted. Bottomline, you’ll need to investigate the wisdom of using the Enneagram for yourself. NEWIM will continue to publish articles by authors from either perspective. We believe that we can learn from each other and agree to disagree about whether the Enneagram is a tool for Christians.