Search Results for: enneagram

The Enneagram Part 2

Volume 26, Issue 3, June/July 2020 In the first article on this subject, I began by developing a case for biblical authority and sufficiency, stating that anything that attempts to by-pass Scripture as the source of truth for Christian living is deficient and should be viewed with suspicion at best.  Any system which claims to offer a pathway to either salvation or sanctification, which is not derived directly and completely from the Word of God, is a fallacy.  Not only are such systems to be avoided (2 Tim 2:16; 3:5), they should be exposed (Jude 3-26).  The Enneagram is just such a system. In the first article I also addressed the origins of the Enneagram, its modern face and what it proposes to accomplish, which is self-knowledge and a deeper relationship with both self and God. In this paper we will revisit the origins, identify some popular promoters, briefly explain…

The Enneagram – Part 1

Volume 26, Issue 2, April/May 2020 If you have not heard of the Enneagram yet, you will soon.  According to Wikipedia it “is a model of the human psyche which is principally understood and taught as a typology of nine interconnected personality types. As a typology the Enneagram defines nine personality types (sometimes called “enneatypes”), which are represented by the points of a geometric figure called an enneagram, which indicate connections between the types. The Enneagram of Personality has been widely promoted in both business management and spirituality contexts through seminars, conferences, books, magazines, and DVDs. In business contexts it is generally used as a typology to gain insights into workplace interpersonal-dynamics; in spirituality it is more commonly presented as a path to higher states of being, essence, and enlightenment. Both contexts say it can aid in self-awareness, self-understanding and self-development.” The Enneagram figure or diagram looks like the following. Before I jump into the midst of the fire swirling around the…

Biblical Discernment in Christian Literature

Volume 26, Issue 4, August/September 2020 Biblical discernment today, if not at an all-time low, is surely bumping along at the bottom of the pond, and nowhere is that more evident than in Christian literature.  Most people, if a book or blog post is written by a credentialed Christian author, and published by at least a semi-respected Christian publishing house, let down their guard and accept unquestionably whatever is disseminated. This is true not only of the average believer but also of many in leadership. For example, Subversive Sabbath, the Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World by A. J. Swoboda, won Christianity Today’s 2019 Book of the Year award in the spiritual formation category, and thus would presumably represent spirituality as understood by mainstream evangelicalism today. Written by a pastor/seminary professor, the book’s strength lies in its reminder that the believer needs rest as grounded in the Sabbath…