The key insight of the Enneagram that Christians seem most attracted to—and that, in many people’s opinions sets it apart from other personality and strengths-finding tests—is its diagnosis of people’s sinful tendencies (what some Enneagramites refer to as “passions” and “fixations”). In other words, the Enneagram is supposed to help us identify nine detrimental paths down which we travel when we are stressed, tired, feeling needy, etc. These include: 1) anger and resentment, 2) pride, 3) deceptiveness, 4) melancholy and envy, 5) self-sufficiency, 6) fear and doubt, 7) pleasure-seeking, 8) domination, and 9) laziness.

Before I offer a needed critique, let me acknowledge that there is much to commend in this. Christians need to be aware of their sinful tendencies. They need to become increasingly cognizant of the temptations that lure them. The Enneagram has called out a handful of these sinful tendencies. Furthermore, most of us can identify with one or more of the sin propensities listed above. Let us openly acknowledge this at the outset.

But not all is well in Enneagram-land. Let me list three concerns before I propose something constructive.

  1. Remember that the roots of the Enneagram are in the occult. This means that we need to be extra vigilant as we assess its value. Granted, we should not immediately disqualify something based upon its origin (the classic genetic fallacy). Truth is truth, wherever it is found. Nevertheless, because of its origins, it is imperative that Christians pause and cautiously reflect before starting to ride the Enneagram train.
  2. I have described the above negative tendencies using Christian descriptors (“sins”), since I assume along with all Christians in history that sin is a real thing. But not all proponents of the Enneagram think that sin (thoughts and actions that displease a Holy God) is a valid category. Many proponents of the Enneagram appear to be utilitarian (that is, they attach value to what they deem helpful rather than harmful or what they observe leads to increased happiness rather than to unhappiness).  We should keep this in mind when reading Enneagram literature.
  3. Has the Enneagram accurately identified the nine main areas that entice people to sin? Or has it left out some key temptations while overemphasizing others? If one’s starting-point is something other than God-revealed Scripture, it is reasonable to assume that something (somewhere!) in the system will be out-of-whack. This, in fact, appears to be the case with the Enneagram.

So, how can we be sure that our analysis of our sin tendencies is “in whack”?

What if we started with the Bible? What a novel suggestion!