Anyone who’s been connected to Western Christian culture over the last few years is probably familiar with the Enneagram on some level. You know, that popular personality test, right?

Well, to summarize the Enneagram as a personality test really misses the point of what it actually is. The Enneagram is a model that maps personality types into detailed patterns to help people understand how they view the world, how they behave in certain situations and how to manage their emotions.

What is the connection between the Enneagram and Christianty?

The Enneagram is by no means a Christian-exclusive model of personality typing. It is useful for people of all backgrounds and faiths. But yet, like a snowball rolling downhill, the Enneagram has soared in popularity among Christian circles. This is likely due to its great potential for helping people get to know themselves so that they can grow into better people.

Many Christians strive to grow into better people so that they can be better friends, better neighbors and more healthy as individuals. Part of Christian growth is also finding a deeper connection with God. As Don Richard Riso states it in his book “The Wisdom of the Enneagram”:

The Enneagram helps us realize we are not our personalities; we do not have to act out our habitual patterns. We can more easily say, “That’s not me” and let it go. We created our personalities to help us cope with the suffering we experienced when we lost our connection with our Essence and believed we were separated from our Source, namely God.

The Enneagram and Christianty both aim to help people look further inward and focus less on their outward personality. It can enable someone to discover truths about themselves that they didn’t know were there, which can reveal good things and bad things that we can grow in or change. 

Listen to Unfiltered Radio to discover what it’s like to try to be an authentic follower of Jesus in the modern world

If you’re trying to grow as a person, the Enneagram is a great tool to help you get started. At Unfiltered Radio, we frequently talk about ways to grow as people and to become more authentic followers in the way of Jesus. Join us to learn more about how you can grow as an individual and develop a connection with God.