Two months of research. Four months of thinking and praying and reflecting. I thought I had it figured out.
(This is a follow-up post to the one I shared a few days ago. You will need to have read that post for context.)
I love to research things that matter to me. And I did! This topic matters to me too much to be casual about. I listened to so many different people and read so many articles. After all that, I really felt fairly confident in my belief that Christians should stay away from the Enneagram. Although, in a few places I did use words like “probably” and “maybe” in my blog post because I knew there could be a small chance I was missing important details that would weaken my argument.
In hindsight, I probably should have written the post with a little less matter-of-fact-ness and a little more “here is what I have read and heard so far, and this is my conclusion right now.”
So, I’m sorry for that. But now we have an opportunity to know more.
In writing the last blog post, my intent was to be loving and to share truth. To the best of my knowledge, the Enneagram seemed unredeemable.
But now I find myself less confident in my stance that “Christians should stay away from the Enneagram.”
What Challenged and Broadened My Thinking
One of my close friends told me she disagreed with my stance. We talked about it and she sent me some articles. Somehow she found articles I hadn’t come across in all my time looking into this topic. And now I am less sure of my position.
Let me be clear, I am confident in how I defended my position in light of what I thought to be true about Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo. And I am still confident in everything I shared about Oscar Ichazo and nearly everything about Claudio Naranjo. But the facts about Naranjo matter a bit more in this case because he is the one who used automatic writing to receive the enneagram. Or so we thought?
Naranjo: Did he Actually Make Contact with a Demon?
This guy on YouTube, “Gospel for Enneagram” made a brief YouTube video a few months ago pointing out that we don’t actually know what Naranjo meant by “automatic writing” when he mentioned it in that interview. Naranjo perhaps could have meant something more like a meditative, steady writing practice.
Or, maybe he did mean that he had contact with a spirit but he made it up for the same reasons someone might say, “the Lord told me this.” Appealing to a higher power is compelling.
Honestly, I didn’t consider that Naranjo could have not made contact with a demon, because all the research I read stated it as a known fact.
This is the problem I’m running into with this Enneagram research. There are a great deal of people who represent each side of the argument with absolute certainty. There are so many completely opposing facts out there.
Opposing Points Claimed with Certainty
Here’s what I’ve seen in my investigation of the enneagram this year.
Some say that the enneagram is “evil,” “occult,” “demon-influenced,” and “new age.” They say the enneagram as we know it today was greatly influenced by Ichazo and Naranjo, and that it has not changed enough since Naranjo’s time to be redeemable.
Then there are people who say that the modern enneagram we use has evolved so much since Naranjo’s time that the enneagram we use is hardly the same. Some claim to dispute all the religious accusations and concerns. (One example is an article from Enneagram Resource Inc.)
Many say the enneagram has little to no validity in the psychological field. Yet many psychologists and people in the mental health field do feel the enneagram is a valid tool. According to Dr. David Daniels’ website, “Dr. David Daniels accomplished what many prior Enneagram enthusiasts struggled to achieve – he brought scientific backing to the Enneagram.” He conducted a study through Stanford University and developed an enneagram test.
Have Several People Influenced the Enneagram Since Naranjo?
I learned yesterday that there have been at least three enneagram schools, all founded by different people who taught the enneagram slightly differently. One of which is the Enneagram Institute, which is what most of us consider to be the “legit” source.
The Enneagram Institute says, “The "Traditional Enneagram" only goes back to the 1960's when Ichazo was first teaching it, although the philosophy behind the Enneagram contains components from mystical Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, and ancient Greek philosophy (particularly Socrates, Plato, and the Neo-Platonists)—all traditions that stretch back into antiquity.” The Enneagram Resources Inc. says, “the Enneagram has solid roots in the Christian writings of the ‘desert elders.’”
Some people say those claims are false and that the enneagram is not an ancient tool and has no Christian roots.
Dr. Christopher Berg has written a book called The New Age Trojan Horse: What Christians Should Know About Yoga And The Enneagram. The book summary reads, "[Dr. Berg] provides a full theological breakdown of the Christianized versions of both and asks the question of whether or not these practices are a blend of Christian and New Age principles. The results are nothing short of shocking and every Christian in America should be aware of the dangers these practices and others like them pose to the church." A "trojan horse? Shocking and dangerous? Many theologians and scholars share these sentiments.
The Enneagram Resource Inc. also states, “For the past 30 years, the Enneagram has been exposed to hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people who have refined and reshaped the description of the types from their own experience. The modern Enneagram of personality owes its inception to Ichazo but has moved beyond him.”
If this is true, then maybe it is fine for us to use the enneagram?
My Conclusions
At the end of the day, this is a hard one to figure out. I admit that this seems to be less clear than I originally believed.
Do I think I was silly for my original belief? Not at all. I know much of what I shared was true. But I was missing details—namely, 1) that Naranjo might not have made contact with a demon, and 2) that the enneagram as we know and use it today might be different enough from the original that we don’t need to be concerned with any spiritual influences on it.
Many things still give me pause about the enneagram: The potential demon influence. The different religions and cults that have supposedly shaped the enneagram. Hearing ex-new age practicers warn against using the enneagram. The potential distraction from looking at ourselves and others through the lens of the Bible. The temptation to drown out the Holy Spirit. Or Christians looking to the enneagram so much that they idolize it and treat it almost like a Christian ouija board.
Although my full conclusion is not solidified as of August 16, 2023, I wanted to share this post as soon as possible, for the sake of my friends not being too mislead by my last post. I want you to join me in this journey, in real time.
Over the weekend I was praying that God would cast out any spirit of pride in me, and I feel like this was an opportunity he gave me. It is SO not easy for me to admit being wrong—or partially wrong in a more public format like this. But praise God who let me share what I had learned, then find out I might not be fully correct, and then get an opportunity to humble myself and learn more.
Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading.
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