©March 2020 by:
Don Veinot, Joy Veinot, and Marcia Montenegro
Published by:
MCOI Publishing LLC
Wonder Lake, IL 60097
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ISBN 978-1-09-830655-7 (eBook)
Enneagram, Christian Apologetics, Occultism – Religious Aspects, New Age Movement, Evangelical Doctrine, Ritual Religious Practices, Christian Mysticism, Perennialism, Panentheism, Pantheism, Divination, Gnosticism
Cover and book design and layout: Sherwin Todd McGehee
Editing and proofreading: Donna “Corkey” McGehee
I would like to dedicate my chapters to the late Dr. Norman Geisler and to Southern Evangelical Seminary. The Bible-based, sound theological teachings I received gave me the tools for not only understanding and appreciating Scripture, but also for evaluating whatever theologies and ideologies I might come across. I used those tools for my analysis of the topics of/in this book, and I am forever grateful to Dr. Geisler and my professors. Dr. Geisler’s immense knowledge and his love for the Lord were contagious and all students like me benefited.
Marcia Montenegro
Founder,
Christian Answers for the New Age
www.christiananswersforthenewage.org
Working on a project such as this, we sometimes ask ourselves how church leaders─even those who once seemed so solid in their own teaching─can become so blind to error that they could permit such a widespread invasion of false teachings into the church? Additionally, how and why it is that individual Christians within these churches cannot see that teachings which are being presented are far removed from the “faith once for all delivered to the saints?”
We have a friend, associate, and member of our Advisory Board, Bill Honsberger, who occasionally makes it his mission to call and give me a simple four-word sentence as a reminder of why we do what we do. The sentence: “God loves the Church.” That’s true. It is, in fact, His Church. With that in mind, we dedicate this work to the Lord and to His Church─the Body of Christ. We pray our offering is useful to awaken His shepherds and protect His people.
L.L. (Don) and Joy A. Veinot,
Founders and President,
Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc.
www.midwestoutreach.org
Index of Illustrations
Current Version of the Enneagram
The Original Enneagram by George I. Durdjieff
Current Version of the Enneagram
Imaginary Figure
The Original Enneagram by George I. Gurdjieff
First (1954) “Types of Humanity” suggested by Rodney Collin
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedications
Index of Illustrations
Foreword
What Leaders are Saying
Appreciations
Chapter 1 Enneagram 101: The Road Map
Chapter 2 Forbidden Fruit
Chapter 3 Myth Taken
Chapter 4 Genesis of the Enneagram: From Gurdjieff to Rohr
Chapter 5 Richard Rohr: Which God Does He Serve?
Chapter 6 Reap the Whirlwind
Chapter 7 As For This Moses
Chapter 8 One Last Question: Can God Redeem Anything?
About the Authors
Ministry Resources
Scripture Index
Endnotes
I was encouraged when Don and Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro chose to tackle the unfortunate slide of many within the Evangelical church into a fascination with an Occult and New Age religious perspective and method known as the Enneagram. The announced intention of this psychological approach is to help Christians in personality development, Christian maturity, and spirituality. Several popular authors advocate this approach, but probably Richard Rohr has the most influence with the Christian church, even the Evangelical wing.
Though this ideology makes a claim for legitimacy within the history of Christian thought, the evidence is non-existent. In fact, it comes from esoteric, Gnostic-like teachings. In order to support its themes and history to arrive at its conclusions, there is need for considerable imagination─even attempts to find connection with the Tower of Babel and ancient Egypt. Such, however, were it true, does not demonstrate that it flows from the historical revelation of God to the patriarchs, the people of Israel, the first-century church, or the orthodox, patristic community. The only basis of its connection to Christian history is that some of its ideas are akin to aspects of early Christian heresy of the second century and the unfortunate move, in some Roman Catholic communities in the Medieval period and today, towards an unbiblical and unhealthy mysticism. The focus is on looking within and following the nine-point symbol of the philosophy to become like the Christ.
Why would such a viewpoint be invited into the Christian church of today? The only reason that I can deduce is that the current commitment of many within the modern church is to post-modern and existential ideas and inner experience─views that fail to recognize the truth of Scripture─rather than the Scriptures which are able to build us to become like Jesus the Messiah. When the church neglects or rejects careful and systematic study of the Scriptures, people start looking for something else to solve their problems and yearnings. Unlike the writer Jude, who says that we are “to contend for the faith that is once for all committed to the saints” (Jude 1:3), many within the modern church have largely given lip service to the written revelation of God and the necessity to faithfully study the pages of Scripture with a historical and literal interpretative method. Rather, the Bible is proof-texted by many preachers to push for personal introspection based on “following one’s heart.” In addition, contemplative prayer and meditation has become a substitute for the blessed believer of Psalm 1 who “mediates day and night” (Psalm 1:2) in the instruction of God in the Word.
The teaching of the Enneagram is so far removed from the teaching of Scripture, that it becomes problematic to understand why Evangelical publishing houses would even print these New Age books, unless they are just publishing what sells and not what follows Scripture and moves the Christian to be spiritually mature. Every major Christian doctrine regarding God, Jesus, salvation, and sanctification, et al, is denied, distorted, or assaulted by this Occult religious teaching that attempts to robe itself in Christian dress. I commend Don and Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro for faithfully addressing and explaining this heretical departure from the Christian faith in the spirit of the Christian apologists of past centuries.
H. Wayne House, M.A., Th.D., J.D.
Distinguished Research Professor of Theology, Law, and Culture,
Faith International University and Faith Seminary
THE ENNEAGRAM IS DANGEROUS TO YOUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH! Want to know why? Read this eye-opening book. It’s written by trustworthy apologists who are well-versed in the hidden dangers of the Enneagram. Highly recommended.
Dr. Ron Rhodes
Christian Apologist & Author
False ideas are one of the greatest obstacles to the Gospel and can lead even orthodox Christians astray. Most Christians can identify some of these false ideas: Marxism, Humanism, Evolution, and the New Age Movement. But few would be able to list the Enneagram as a false and dangerous idea. Richard Rohr, and those whom he has mentored, are spreading this idea. That is why this book is so important. It is a warning to Christians who might adopt it into their theology, and it is an obstacle to non-Christians who accept its teachings rather than the truth of the Gospel.
Kerby Anderson
President, Probe Ministries
Host, Point of View radio talk show
With meticulous research and sound biblical doctrine, Don and Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro show why we should avoid the Enneagram. Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret reveals the shockingly heretical underpinnings of the Enneagram, and how it has been deceptively marketed as an ancient Christian tool. This book is a must-read!
Doreen Virtue
Author, Deceived No More
Don and Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro have done the body of believers, indeed, their fellow human beings, a great service in researching and writing Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret. The growing enthusiasm about the Enneagram, both inside and outside the Christian church, might be dismissed as a trendy fad soon to fade away. But the toxicity of the Occult background of the Enneagram and the heretical views of Richard Rohr require a swift, skillful, and thorough exposure and refutation. This they have done here. Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret should be read by everyone committed to sound Christian thinking; by those who want to keep others from falling prey to the Enneagram’s false ideas; and by Christians who minister to those already deceived.
Richard G. Howe, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Apologetics,
Southern Evangelical Seminary
Past President,
International Society of Christian Apologetics
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at your Enneagram, right? That’s what many Evangelical churches and institutions are advocating through their less-than-secret endorsement of this New Age paradigm of spirituality. The Enneagram is not a corporate, business self-assessment, or a means to discovering your personality type, or the modus operandi by which the Holy Spirit reveals your spiritual gifts. Rather, as Marcia Montenegro and Don and Joy Veinot chart in their well-researched work, the Enneagram is a New Age, mystical, path to God. Each of the nine points or personality types allegedly indicates specific paths to God and the face of God, Himself. To claim there are any other paths to God apart from the person and work of Jesus Christ flies in the very face of Scripture and the Gospel itself. We owe a great debt to Montenegro and the Veinots for their well-researched, robust, response to this New Age form of heresy that has crept into the church. Tolle lege!
William C. Roach, Ph.D.
President,
International Society of Christian Apologetics
One would not have thought that discernment in the Evangelical world could still reach a new low. One would be wrong. With mainstream Evangelical publishers like Zondervan and InterVarsity Press promoting books on the Enneagram, the final proof that much of the “Evangelical” publishing industry is only about money, not truth, is now inescapable.
The Enneagram is a geometric figure, a circle containing nine points, being pushed as a tool for personality typing and finding one’s path to God. Widely believed to be of ancient origin, its roots are actually in modern occultism and New-Age spirituality. It is utterly devoid of any scientific psychological basis or biblical content. Don and Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro expose the facts in a book that should never have been necessary—but it is. In Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret, they leave no stone unturned in revealing the true source, nature, and danger of this hoax. Well-researched and clearly written, the book is a must-read for anyone who wants to be up on the latest trends in cult research, anyone wondering if the Enneagram has any validity, or anyone who knows someone influenced by it.
Donald T. Williams, Ph.D.
R. A. Forrest Scholar & Prof. of English,
Toccoa Falls College
Past President,
International Society of Christian Apologetics
If you don’t know anything about the Enneagram or you want to know its relationship to Christianity, this book has much to offer. Montenegro and the Veinots, experts in the material, take the reader through the primary resources on the Enneagram and compare its teachings to Scripture and orthodox Christian teaching in order to show that the Enneagram is anything but Christian. With the rise in popularity of the Enneagram in Evangelical circles, this is a book you need to read!
J. Brian Huffling, Ph.D.
Director of Ph.D. Program
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology,
Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte, NC
In Matthew 24, Jesus warns multiple times that believers should be on their guard for deception, particularly in the last days. The Apostle Paul also warns in 2 Timothy 4, in very stark terms, that deception will abound in the latter days:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4, KJV)
For many years, modern evangelicalism has quickly adopted to a series of fads that are, without question, based on false teaching, and which incorporate Pagan, mystical and New Age practices into the church. In other words, the leaders of the latest fad are fulfilling that about which the Apostle Paul warned.
In observing the state of modern evangelicalism, I know of no fad that has swept across the Evangelical landscape as quickly as the Enneagram. Hardly a day passes without learning of a formerly sound church, a college, or a seminary that has turned to the fable of the Enneagram.
This new book, Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret, is a masterful work that dismantles how the Enneagram developed and how it came to be introduced into the church. It is imperative that pastors and those in charge of seminaries and colleges learn the truth of this myth. You cannot read this book and come to any other conclusion that massive deception is at play.
I am grateful that Don & Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro have blessed the church with this research. Please read it and act accordingly and get it out of your church, your college or your seminary if the leadership does not respond to the information and address the false teaching.
Don’t. Fall. For. It.
John Haller
Elder and Teacher,
Fellowship Bible Chapel in Sunbury, OH
Host, John Haller’s Prophecy Update (YouTube)
The authors provide exhaustive documentation based on a thorough investigation of the claims and sources of the Enneagram. Their analysis of the many unbiblical, theological teachings of Enneagram authors makes it abundantly clear that the Enneagram system is antithetical to biblical Christianity. They ask important questions about how the Enneagram could find its way into Evangelical churches, institutions, and publishing houses. I particularly appreciate their debunking of Panentheism and its errors and dangers. The authors provide a timely call for Christians to return to sound doctrine and develop a biblical worldview. I heartily endorse this book.
Bob DeWaay
Theologian and teacher,
Gospel of Grace Fellowship, Edina, MN
Author, Critical Issues Commentary
The Christian worldview can be undermined unless each and every thought is brought captive to Christ. Ideas that put anything, including ourselves, at the center rather than Jesus as king must be rejected. The same goes for the church. The authors expose an old heretical idea which is now dressed up as a harmless tool of self-analysis. They warn us that we cannot blithely welcome this idea because ideas come wrapped in worldviews. They trace the origins and weigh the implications of the Enneagram and demonstrate it is not only distracting for the church but dangerous to the faith once delivered to the saints. Let those who have an ear to hear take heed their admonitions and consider their warnings.
Jonathan Miles, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Philosophy,
Quincy University, Quincy, IL
Another spiritual trend has entered the church, another technique for Self-empowerment, another promised path to enlightenment. Unpacking the history and meaning of the Enneagram, Don and Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro effectively demonstrates that this is another search for truth in the wrong place.
Carl Teichrib
Author,
Game of Gods:
The Temple of Man in the
Age of Re-Enchantment
Occult inroads into modern medicine are legion and are typically under-exposed. But now we see the inroads of the unexamined into Evangelical institutions that sadly and too frequently lack basic, worldview discernment. This book can help the teachable do significantly better. Those enraptured by any new tool to use to talk about themselves/ourselves likely initially will be resistive. Can we read and reason outside our psychology-sharing clique? If one can do so, they will find help to recover genuine care for people while upholding a biblical view of the image of God in humanity without the unexamined, default-endorsement of every ostensibly, spiritual resource. Reading this book can help one to grow in discernment. Thanks for this needed exposé.
Joe B Whitchurch
Vice President, Campus Operations,
Ratio Christi
You need to read this book! I first became aware of the Enneagram in the 1980s when it became a passing fad in New Age and metaphysical bookstores across the country. As the novelty wore off, the Enneagram’s popularity waned, and it seemed to be fading into obscurity. Inexplicably, some 40-years later, major Evangelical Christian publishers have resurrected the Enneagram and attempted to baptize it as some kind of biblical resource or Christian tool. A new generation of Christians is now vulnerable to spiritual dangers, because they are completely unaware of the Enneagram’s modern origins and its underlying occult principles.
James Walker
President,
Watchman Fellowship
Co-founder,
The Atheist & Christian Book Club
I have been concerned for some time about the growing influence of the New Age Movement on Christians. Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret offers a thought-provoking perspective on one conduit of this influence by providing compelling evidence of New Age philosophy within the Enneagram. Don and Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro clearly identify these New Age beliefs in ever-increasingly-popular, Christian books that erroneously present the Enneagram as a means of self-awareness and spiritual growth. I recommend Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret as essential reading for anyone in Christian leadership.
Danny Loe
Chief of Staff, Director of International Missions,
Ratio Christi
The “Enneagram of personality,” promoted by some Christian publishers, is now being heralded from church pulpits and studied in small groups. And yet, this latest craze does not have its origin in either the Bible or church history, but in the Occult and Spiritualism. The authors, Don and Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro, help those interested to assess this phenomenon by uncovering its history in detail and also its non-Christian world view and elements.
Dr. James Bjornstad
Professor of Philosophy (retired),
Cedarville University
Christians everywhere are excited about the Enneagram. It’s difficult to miss the waves it has been making in the church over the last three years; and its proponents are extremely vocal and not in any way open to criticism. With clarity and precision, this book will walk you through what the Enneagram actually is, and why Christians should tear down this idol and remove it from the church as quickly as possible.
Summer White
Blogger and Co-Host,
Sheologians Podcast
The three of us appreciate those who have gone before us in defense of the faith in both the recent and distant past. Some of God’s people who were standing firm and preserving God’s truth appear in the pages of holy writ, and their deeds are stamped indelibly in the minds of those, who, like us, have to spend time ferreting out and addressing false teaching among God’s people when we would far prefer to be addressing the unbiblical teachings of cults and false religions. Closer to our day, we appreciate the work of J. Gresham Machen whose 1923 book, Christianity & Liberalism, addressed the liberal Christianity making such headway in his day and laid out the stark differences between true Christianity and Christianity in name only. We also appreciate the work of those apologists whom we have had the privilege of knowing personally, such as Dr. Norman Geisler (Co-founder and President of Southern Evangelical Seminary and author/co-author of over 100 books), who took a firm stand in defense of the faith. Dr. Geisler, who recently went home to be with the Lord, although personally a gentle man and an example of a true servant, was completely undeterred and forthright in his defense of the historic Christian faith and his stand against biblical error. He taught us to focus on addressing the facts of issues rather than attacking persons with whom we may disagree. He was friend to the three of us (Don, Joy, Marcia); and he was an always-accessible mentor who was ever ready with either a joke or serious answer to a tough question. Dr. Ron Rhodes (Founder and President of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministry and author of over 60 books), another friend and mentor, conveyed to us the value of reading two good books for every bad book one must read to carry on apologetics research. These individuals and so many more were wise in their advice to check sources, to quote them in context, and to respond accurately.
There was also quite a team actively involved in this project who deserve more than acknowledgment but a very public thank you of appreciation! Dr. Ronald V. Huggins [B.F.A., Th.D., formerly of Moody Bible Institute (Spokane), Salt Lake Theological Seminary, and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary] tirelessly searched out details of ancient history, the Post-Nicene and Desert Fathers, as well as some of the key twentieth century players. His willingness to read the draft and offer suggestions was of immense value.
Roger Corbin (studies in church history at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary) is another who spent a great deal of time as we did, trying to persuade publishers of Enneagram books and materials to take a serious look into the factual history of the Enneagram. One publisher responded back to written correspondence by simply reasserting the Enneagram is ancient. We contacted another publisher and their parent company, but neither responded. Although they were unwilling to heed our concerns, it was worth the effort to try to educate them in our estimation. Roger also spent time and energy tracking down sources, primary source quotes, and information as well as reading and critiquing the draft as we went.
Pastor Dan Cox from Wonder Lake Bible Church spent his precious time reading and critiquing the draft. He also faithfully prayed for the three of us as we worked together researching and assembling the material to create what we hope is an understandable treatment of the Enneagram issues. Coming into the project with little knowledge of the Enneagram and reading it as a shepherd who takes his mandate of guarding the flock seriously, he also pressed us to write with clarity for those who may know little to nothing about the Enneagram, so they could absorb and understand the seriousness of the issue. Dan is more than our pastor; he is also our friend and fellow traveler down this road of faith.
In addition to others who read the draft, there are two whom we owe special appreciation: Todd and Corkey McGehee. They have been working behind the scenes with the ministry of Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc. since 1994. Todd has been ever faithful in graphic design, layout, and making our printed works look professional. Corkey, his wife, is our Senior Editor and proofreader, and she approaches every project as through the eyes of someone who knows little to nothing about the subject or the Bible. She spends hours reading, checking, fixing, and offering suggestions─all which serve to improve the end result and hold us accountable to the Lord and His people on the printed page. Since 1994, they have prayed for us, challenged us, and been there for us in so many other ways.
To all of these and so many more, we say, “Thank you!”
Why is it that you have this particular book? Is it because, even though you have never heard of the Enneagram (pronounced like any-a-gram), the title and cover caught your interest? Perhaps you have heard the term from friends or family who have become involved with it, but you know very little and are looking for information. Possibly your church or a church you know of has introduced it to their congregation. They assumed it is a personality profile of sorts or a spiritual tool designed to bring someone closer to God. It is all the rage in certain segments of the church; but you have never really heard of it before. For those who are just beginning investigation, we are starting with basic information─a sort of Enneagram 101 with particular points of interest like markers on a road map.
The starting point is the Enneagram itself. It is a geometric design consisting of a circle with an equilateral triangle and an irregular hexagram inside which touches the circle at nine points. The current version has numbers added at the touch points around the circle as can be seen in the following diagram.
At the moment, it does seem to be all the rage; but prior to 2016, very few within the Evangelical and confessing church had even heard of the Enneagram. There is a reason this is the case. Since its inception, it only resided within the domain of the Occult, New Age, and a handful of Roman Catholic priests. While it is true most of the writers, promoters, and teachers presently refer to this as the Enneagram of Personality, they also define what the term means, and what it does not mean. One of the more popular authors, Christopher L. Heuertz, quotes one of his teachers, New Ager and co-founder of the Enneagram Institute, Russ Hudson, who clarified:
Type isn’t a ‘type’ of person, but a path to God.1
Each number within the Enneagram is “a path;” and with the help of Enneagram coaches and authors, it is up to the individual to discover which is their personal path. Are these paths to God or somewhere else? The title of Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile’s popular book is, The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery.2 Likewise, Christopher L. Heuertz’s best seller, The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth3 puts the reader on a path to themselves. Is that the best place to find answers? A brief look at one short passage from just one of God’s prophets provides a contrast: