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Enneagram Theology: Is It Christian?
The enneagram has become popular among evangelical Christians as a spiritualized personality typology that claims to help people better understand themselves and others. Several influential evangelical Christian leadership ministries have promoted the enneagram as a tool in forming and maintaining effective ministry teams, and the personality typology is now taught and embraced at several Christian universities. But uncertainty exists about the appropriateness of referring to the Enneagram as a Christian tool. Are pastors and Christian institutional leaders aware of the theology associated with the Enneagram? Enneagram Theology: Is It Christian? provides a biblical critique of the Enneagram’s underlying theology and exposes not only its foundational theological contradictions with orthodox evangelical theology but also some potential dangers to the church.
118 pages, Paperback
Published August 12, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 29, 2023
TLDR: Amen. The Enneagram is NOT biblical.
It's interesting, and maybe even sinister, to note how the Enneagram (by its authors and supporters) specifically targets Christians. This is unlike the Myers-Briggs or other 'personality' tests which are based in behavioral psychology. I've personally seen the Enneagram used in the church. It has a hold in the Christian circles, it's in seminaries, Christian conferences, Christian podcasts and media, all over 'Christian' social media and pervasive in pretty much every area of 'Christian' public life.
Richard Rohr and other authors admit to looking at the 'test' through 'Christian spirituality' rather than psychology... so for those who promote this merely as a personality test, that isn't what its own authors would say. If the Enneagram is something you're seeing in your church or Christian circles, I'd urge you to consider reading this book or looking into it and not being apathetic with things that creep into the church.
This was helpful for me to look at the Scriptures used by Rohr and others to defend their theology and look at what it really means to be 'in Christ', always going back to the context of the scripture and not using it to support your own belief system.
The Enneagram was written by an author who holds pantheistic theology and the idea that the more you look inside your Authentic Self the more you can know God. The theology of the enneagram says that man needs to find his way back to his True Self, which is ultimately good. That sin is just mistaken identity and if we look within, we can find our good selves. This is anti-gospel. This says man has goodness within and can be justified within himself, which we know not to be true from Scripture.
Romans 3: 10 "as it is written: “There is no righteous person, not even one;"
This book is very well-researched and a great resource, but reads as a thesis paper. Cherry's research is thorough, but I hope he could turn it into a more readable book and that it could get out into the Christian world.
Overall, I don't think most people have wrong motives when taking the Enneagram test or that in and of itself it is a sin to take it, but I would just encourage people who have delved into that world to look to God and his word to change your life... not this false gospel masquerading as a life-changing resource.
"Why should evangelicalism embrace anything that carries a theological warning label? Is it wise for evangelical leaders to endorse any type of system that is based on an antithetical theology and anthropology-which Richard Rohr and the authors he influenced have demonstrated in their Enneagram works?"
"The Enneagram teaches a false gospel that focuses on man's own ability to gain self-knowledge and discover his good True Self. The equates to a false gospel in which man himself is the hero in his own salvation story.
Any solution that is bereft of a role for the Holy Spirit to point man to his need for the Savior Jesus is a false gospel. The Enneagram is unable to replace the combined truth of the Word and the work of the Holy Spirit to produce true personal change."
It's interesting, and maybe even sinister, to note how the Enneagram (by its authors and supporters) specifically targets Christians. This is unlike the Myers-Briggs or other 'personality' tests which are based in behavioral psychology. I've personally seen the Enneagram used in the church. It has a hold in the Christian circles, it's in seminaries, Christian conferences, Christian podcasts and media, all over 'Christian' social media and pervasive in pretty much every area of 'Christian' public life.
Richard Rohr and other authors admit to looking at the 'test' through 'Christian spirituality' rather than psychology... so for those who promote this merely as a personality test, that isn't what its own authors would say. If the Enneagram is something you're seeing in your church or Christian circles, I'd urge you to consider reading this book or looking into it and not being apathetic with things that creep into the church.
This was helpful for me to look at the Scriptures used by Rohr and others to defend their theology and look at what it really means to be 'in Christ', always going back to the context of the scripture and not using it to support your own belief system.
The Enneagram was written by an author who holds pantheistic theology and the idea that the more you look inside your Authentic Self the more you can know God. The theology of the enneagram says that man needs to find his way back to his True Self, which is ultimately good. That sin is just mistaken identity and if we look within, we can find our good selves. This is anti-gospel. This says man has goodness within and can be justified within himself, which we know not to be true from Scripture.
Romans 3: 10 "as it is written: “There is no righteous person, not even one;"
This book is very well-researched and a great resource, but reads as a thesis paper. Cherry's research is thorough, but I hope he could turn it into a more readable book and that it could get out into the Christian world.
Overall, I don't think most people have wrong motives when taking the Enneagram test or that in and of itself it is a sin to take it, but I would just encourage people who have delved into that world to look to God and his word to change your life... not this false gospel masquerading as a life-changing resource.
"Why should evangelicalism embrace anything that carries a theological warning label? Is it wise for evangelical leaders to endorse any type of system that is based on an antithetical theology and anthropology-which Richard Rohr and the authors he influenced have demonstrated in their Enneagram works?"
"The Enneagram teaches a false gospel that focuses on man's own ability to gain self-knowledge and discover his good True Self. The equates to a false gospel in which man himself is the hero in his own salvation story.
Any solution that is bereft of a role for the Holy Spirit to point man to his need for the Savior Jesus is a false gospel. The Enneagram is unable to replace the combined truth of the Word and the work of the Holy Spirit to produce true personal change."
November 2, 2021
Setting out to write this book review, I had a couple of thoughts-concerns if you will, rolling around in my mind regarding how many who read the review will react. Knowing the landscape of the church today, I figure there'll be those who will push back against my review, providing responses such as, "What's the big deal? It's a tool to help people find their true self," or, "I used the Enneagram and it helped me," or, "We were struggling terribly in our marriage and the Enneagram was life-changing, marriage-changing for us," or, "The theology/doctrine that drives the Enneagram is really immaterial. Besides, doctrine divides. We just need to love one another," etc. The pushback comments against anyone who might oppose the ever growing popular Enneagram are probably endless. For the true Christian, should there be push-back? No. The Christian, of all people, should be greatly discerning, growing more and more to discern what is true and what runs contrary to God's Word. It's a noblemindedness that is praised in God's Word, not being naive or foolish. We know that God's Word will perpetually be attacked. History demonstrates this very clearly. Since Genesis 3, God's truth has been front and center in the attacks from the world system (and the god of this world). We also know that every person, whether a fundamentalist or an atheist, has doctrine. Every person has a theology. WE all live out our theology every day. There is no neutrality. None. And the theology that undergirds the Enneagram philosophy is very problematic. So problematic that I propose that no Christian should use the material.
It is interesting how personality tests are really fads. Growing up in the evangelical community, the fad of the day revolved around temperaments. The younger generation may never have heard of the four temperaments: Sanguine, Melancholy, Phlegmatic, and Choleric, but those who were part of Christendom in the 70's knew all too well about the transforming temperaments and the material that spoke to such. In later years, such as the late 80's and early 90's, personality fads pointed to the idea of using animals as illustrative of the various personalities. For example, perhaps your personality could be likened to a lion, or a beaver, or a golden retriever. Personality specialists promoted such a concept and it gained wide popularity amongst the church and the world. With the animal related personalities fading from the scene, other personality theories continued to pop up, you know, the Type A, Type B personality fad, and most recently, the Enneagram. Is it a fad? Time will tell. In the mean time, how many people will be confused by it? How many people will be lead astray, compromised, and diving headlong into doctrines that run contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture?
In this short, 118 page book, author Rhenn Cherry provides documented details about the belief system of the originator of the Enneagram, as well as, the belief system of the main players in the promotion of the Enneagram in our culture, in the church, in Christian educational organizations. Cherry shows on page after page how the Enneagram is built upon a theological foundation that is diametrically contrary to core Christian beliefs. The "father of the Enneagram" holds to beliefs that are so contrasting to evangelical that one is lead to wonder why any professing believer would embrace and subsequently promote such material. Rohr's beliefs are of great significance. His beliefs about God (Rohr is a Panentheist), about creation, about man, about sin, about Scripture, about Christ, and about salvation are extremely different to Evangelical beliefs, and his doctrinal beliefs drive the purpose and goal of the Enneagram program. As a Panentheist, Rohr believes that God is in everything. Once he has that as his launching point, everything else within his doctrinal system is connected, regardless of whether it is agreeable to Scripture or blatantly contradictory. When one examines the doctrine that drives the Enneagram, it leaves him to wonder why the material is so widely embraced and promoted with the Christian community. Such differences between Rohr and the Evangelical belief system are not minor differences and Cherry (the author of the book being reviewed) demonstrates many times over, the major differences and why those differences are significant.
In evaluating a book, a philosophy, a worldview, we will evaluate several areas: 1) What is the person's epistemology? 2) What is his view of God? 3) What is his view of man? 4) What is his view of man's problem? and 5) What is his view of the answer to man's problem? We use that to evaluate counseling philosophy. We use that to evaluate personality theories. The answers to these five questions is very telling and with each of these, it is clearly demonstrated that Rohr's (and the Enneagram material) runs totally opposite of the Word of God.
Perhaps it is appropriate to note a couple of weaknesses of the book, albeit, minor in comparison to the strengths. First, is the cost. This isn't really the author's deal, but the publisher's. The book is much to small to charge the stated price. Sadly, because of the cost, many who need to read the book, will not. Second, the first section of the book is redundant. The author works hard to set the stage for where he is going to go in addressing/evaluating the Enneagram, the author, the history, and the doctrinal forces that drive the Enneagram. In doing so, he was repetitive to the degree that it might lead the reader to set the book aside. This is a weakness that should be noted as minor, but it could be one that leads to the loss of an audience with some.
As a whole, I believe all professing Christians who have imbibed at the trough of the Ennegram, should work their way through the pages of this book, simply to get a clear view of the many problems with the Enneagram material. It will provide the reader with much needed information to be discerning about the Enneagram.
It is interesting how personality tests are really fads. Growing up in the evangelical community, the fad of the day revolved around temperaments. The younger generation may never have heard of the four temperaments: Sanguine, Melancholy, Phlegmatic, and Choleric, but those who were part of Christendom in the 70's knew all too well about the transforming temperaments and the material that spoke to such. In later years, such as the late 80's and early 90's, personality fads pointed to the idea of using animals as illustrative of the various personalities. For example, perhaps your personality could be likened to a lion, or a beaver, or a golden retriever. Personality specialists promoted such a concept and it gained wide popularity amongst the church and the world. With the animal related personalities fading from the scene, other personality theories continued to pop up, you know, the Type A, Type B personality fad, and most recently, the Enneagram. Is it a fad? Time will tell. In the mean time, how many people will be confused by it? How many people will be lead astray, compromised, and diving headlong into doctrines that run contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture?
In this short, 118 page book, author Rhenn Cherry provides documented details about the belief system of the originator of the Enneagram, as well as, the belief system of the main players in the promotion of the Enneagram in our culture, in the church, in Christian educational organizations. Cherry shows on page after page how the Enneagram is built upon a theological foundation that is diametrically contrary to core Christian beliefs. The "father of the Enneagram" holds to beliefs that are so contrasting to evangelical that one is lead to wonder why any professing believer would embrace and subsequently promote such material. Rohr's beliefs are of great significance. His beliefs about God (Rohr is a Panentheist), about creation, about man, about sin, about Scripture, about Christ, and about salvation are extremely different to Evangelical beliefs, and his doctrinal beliefs drive the purpose and goal of the Enneagram program. As a Panentheist, Rohr believes that God is in everything. Once he has that as his launching point, everything else within his doctrinal system is connected, regardless of whether it is agreeable to Scripture or blatantly contradictory. When one examines the doctrine that drives the Enneagram, it leaves him to wonder why the material is so widely embraced and promoted with the Christian community. Such differences between Rohr and the Evangelical belief system are not minor differences and Cherry (the author of the book being reviewed) demonstrates many times over, the major differences and why those differences are significant.
In evaluating a book, a philosophy, a worldview, we will evaluate several areas: 1) What is the person's epistemology? 2) What is his view of God? 3) What is his view of man? 4) What is his view of man's problem? and 5) What is his view of the answer to man's problem? We use that to evaluate counseling philosophy. We use that to evaluate personality theories. The answers to these five questions is very telling and with each of these, it is clearly demonstrated that Rohr's (and the Enneagram material) runs totally opposite of the Word of God.
Perhaps it is appropriate to note a couple of weaknesses of the book, albeit, minor in comparison to the strengths. First, is the cost. This isn't really the author's deal, but the publisher's. The book is much to small to charge the stated price. Sadly, because of the cost, many who need to read the book, will not. Second, the first section of the book is redundant. The author works hard to set the stage for where he is going to go in addressing/evaluating the Enneagram, the author, the history, and the doctrinal forces that drive the Enneagram. In doing so, he was repetitive to the degree that it might lead the reader to set the book aside. This is a weakness that should be noted as minor, but it could be one that leads to the loss of an audience with some.
As a whole, I believe all professing Christians who have imbibed at the trough of the Ennegram, should work their way through the pages of this book, simply to get a clear view of the many problems with the Enneagram material. It will provide the reader with much needed information to be discerning about the Enneagram.
January 4, 2022
Very good read. Felt a little "textbookish" but that's okay. The book felt like just a huge assault on Richard Rohr (deservingly so), but in the last couple of chapters Rhenn Cherry wrapped it up and explained why he so clearly pointed out the theology of Rohr, and the influence he has had over evangelical circles now. As a pastor myself, I would encourage every one who has even remotely heard of the Enneagram to read this book.
February 14, 2023
It was satisfying to read a doctoral thesis explicating the same thing (with almost the same title) of a blog I wrote years earlier, including the world view of panentheism at the heart of the enneagram. I appreciate this author's academic approach that will reach many scholars.
March 17, 2024
Very important book for evangelical Christians to read, but we very repetitive. Valuable information about the Enneagram and how it is inherently anti-Biblical.
April 6, 2025
A book on discernment which requires more discernment than that being discerned.
While this book delivers some valued discernment on Richard Rohr and the Enneagram, it fails to first take the sliver out of the author's eye. The sliver turns out to be enormous and we are left with the unfortunate choice of either embracing a religion which does accept all people from any religion, or with a religion that is not even available to most of those who could seek CHRISTOS. It is a fight of evil against evil, with no winner.
PROS
+ Good discernment on Richard Rohr, his disciples and the Jesuit origin of the Enneagram movement.
CONS
- Teaching of the heretical doctrine of Total Depravity, while heavily quoting Owen Strachan:
"We cannot come to G-d;
we cannot of ourselves know the Lord.
We cannot please the Lord.
We neither want nor follow G-d's will.
In our fallenness, we can't even understand the things of G-d.
We are totally depraved and thus totally unable to come to G-d."
This quote summarizes the absurdity of this doctrine and every clause is plainly contradicted by Scripture, as it should be obvious to the most naive reader of the Bible. While it is maybe true that the further we get into sin, the blinder we become to come to THEOS, this is not so from scratch. CHRISTOS died for the sins of any human being, and no matter if born into a Calvinist family / church or not (...), we all have the exact same chances to come to CHRISTOS.
- The book is rather a sales show for (the products of) selected Calvinist authors. It also focuses too much on names on both sides than going into the spiritual matter of the issues involved.
- The author contradicts his own writing when endorsing Calvinism repeatedly as orthodox antithesis to Universalism:
"Jay Adams maintains [...] that within the church and before G-d, no one person or group should have an advantage over another. But Adams adds that although some distinct advantages are clearly visible even among born-again believers in this earthly life, those distinctions will one day be non-existent in the presence of G-d. [...] Lightfoot summarizes the concept of Christ being in all: "Christ has dispossessed and obliterated all distinctions of religious prerogative and intellectual preeminence and social caste. Christ has submitted himself for all these." [...] There is consensus among these orthodox evangelical commentators that in Colossians 3:11 Paul makes clear that there is no place for barriers in the church ..."
- The author employs a double-tongue. While chapters 1, 2, 3, and 5 criticize the Enneagram, chapter 4 seems to have been written by another author who actually favors the Enneagram. It is a devastating chapter, which except for one brief discernment in the middle and the end of it does actually endorse the Enneagram (!!!).
At this point of time I have reviewed 170 books and never seen anything like this. I am not sure if the author was afraid that he could be sued for the otherwise critical content, but this chapter destroys much of the discernment and leads the reader straight to purchase one or rather several of the countless works recommended here from all available authors on the Enneagram.
- Heavy endorsement of the highly problematic teacher John MacArthur (Figurehead of Augustinian-Calvinism; Cessationist ...).
- Endorsement of Wayne Grudem (Calvinist, Former Steering Council member and elder at the Vineyard Movement; Theistic Evolution; he rejects Noah's flood).
- Repeated endorsement of Jay Adams (Calvinist / Presbyterian).
- Repeated endorsement of J.I. Packer (Calvinist and author of Evangelicals and Catholics Together; Ecumenism)
- He endorses the Westminster confession (Calvinist manifest), the G‑spel Coalition (figurehead of the New Calvinist movement), and Christianity Today (Catholic-driven magazine).
While this book delivers some valued discernment on Richard Rohr and the Enneagram, it fails to first take the sliver out of the author's eye. The sliver turns out to be enormous and we are left with the unfortunate choice of either embracing a religion which does accept all people from any religion, or with a religion that is not even available to most of those who could seek CHRISTOS. It is a fight of evil against evil, with no winner.
PROS
+ Good discernment on Richard Rohr, his disciples and the Jesuit origin of the Enneagram movement.
CONS
- Teaching of the heretical doctrine of Total Depravity, while heavily quoting Owen Strachan:
"We cannot come to G-d;
we cannot of ourselves know the Lord.
We cannot please the Lord.
We neither want nor follow G-d's will.
In our fallenness, we can't even understand the things of G-d.
We are totally depraved and thus totally unable to come to G-d."
This quote summarizes the absurdity of this doctrine and every clause is plainly contradicted by Scripture, as it should be obvious to the most naive reader of the Bible. While it is maybe true that the further we get into sin, the blinder we become to come to THEOS, this is not so from scratch. CHRISTOS died for the sins of any human being, and no matter if born into a Calvinist family / church or not (...), we all have the exact same chances to come to CHRISTOS.
- The book is rather a sales show for (the products of) selected Calvinist authors. It also focuses too much on names on both sides than going into the spiritual matter of the issues involved.
- The author contradicts his own writing when endorsing Calvinism repeatedly as orthodox antithesis to Universalism:
"Jay Adams maintains [...] that within the church and before G-d, no one person or group should have an advantage over another. But Adams adds that although some distinct advantages are clearly visible even among born-again believers in this earthly life, those distinctions will one day be non-existent in the presence of G-d. [...] Lightfoot summarizes the concept of Christ being in all: "Christ has dispossessed and obliterated all distinctions of religious prerogative and intellectual preeminence and social caste. Christ has submitted himself for all these." [...] There is consensus among these orthodox evangelical commentators that in Colossians 3:11 Paul makes clear that there is no place for barriers in the church ..."
- The author employs a double-tongue. While chapters 1, 2, 3, and 5 criticize the Enneagram, chapter 4 seems to have been written by another author who actually favors the Enneagram. It is a devastating chapter, which except for one brief discernment in the middle and the end of it does actually endorse the Enneagram (!!!).
At this point of time I have reviewed 170 books and never seen anything like this. I am not sure if the author was afraid that he could be sued for the otherwise critical content, but this chapter destroys much of the discernment and leads the reader straight to purchase one or rather several of the countless works recommended here from all available authors on the Enneagram.
- Heavy endorsement of the highly problematic teacher John MacArthur (Figurehead of Augustinian-Calvinism; Cessationist ...).
- Endorsement of Wayne Grudem (Calvinist, Former Steering Council member and elder at the Vineyard Movement; Theistic Evolution; he rejects Noah's flood).
- Repeated endorsement of Jay Adams (Calvinist / Presbyterian).
- Repeated endorsement of J.I. Packer (Calvinist and author of Evangelicals and Catholics Together; Ecumenism)
- He endorses the Westminster confession (Calvinist manifest), the G‑spel Coalition (figurehead of the New Calvinist movement), and Christianity Today (Catholic-driven magazine).
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