Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret

Remember how Paul Harvey would tell us “The Rest of the Story”? Today, many who have “bought in” to the Enneagram are getting their information from only one side.Remember seeing the optical illusion pictures that amaze us? At first glance, the drawing looks like a beautiful lady looking into a mirror. But, when someone shows you a different way to look at it, one sees the elderly hag.I think of the Enneagram situation as a puzzle. When we are only shown some of the pieces to the puzzle, we get the illusion of it being a harmless, interesting tool. But, popular proponents fail to show the missing puzzle pieces.As former students and/mentees of Biblical professor Dr. Norman Geisler, Marcia Montenegro and her co-authors Don & Joy Veinot hold the Enneagram up to the Bible and show us the missing pieces. They have written a thorough “must read” book that shows us the history, occult/New Age connections, and the underlying theology that accompanies the Enneagram and changes the gospel.We are told in the Bible to “test all things” and “test the spirits”. (1 Thess. 5:21 & John 4:1)We Christians are so trusting. We have our list of Bible teachers, pastors, publishers, and churches we feel that we can always trust. I have done this myself. Though they are well-meaning, they can be fallible and bring false doctrine into the church. It is becoming more and more prevalent for a "different gospel" and New Age to slip into our trusted Biblical churches. We can no longer rely on our trusted list.I wonder how many followers of the Enneagram have looked into the foundational beliefs their Enneagram teacher(s) and/or their mentors. As mentioned, here we have Marcia, Don, & Joy who were mentored by Dr. Norman Geisler -pointing us to the Bible. With Enneagram proponents we have many who were mentored, directly or indirectly, by Richard Rohr and others with New Age/occult connections. Before we add something to the Bible, it would benefit us to look at a teacher’s beliefs to see if they are actually in line with the Bible.I know some say they are not interested in the Enneagram and have no interest in learning about it. To them I would say that those around us are being deceived by its charms. We are told to shine a light in dark places and to be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us.Is this book really needed? Yes. In a local, beloved, church newspaper (also distributed to businesses throughout the region), there were two articles promoting the Enneagram. In the church/community paper, it says the Enneagram comes from the Sufi tradition of Islam. What? Christians are supposed to do something because it is said to come from Islamic Sufis? This church newspaper author also said she uses the Enneagram to “grow closer to God”. She talks about studying God’s Word alongside the Enneagram. Another article in this church newspaper made it sound like babies are born almost without sin and influences make them different. So, to get back to that true state, they have to use the Enneagram. (I thought we were born with a sin nature and we look to Jesus to cleanse us of our sins, make us a new creature, and help us get close to God.)I love the people of this church. But, I can’t understand what happened. How did a Biblical editor not see something wrong? How did they publish not only one article supporting the Enneagram, but two? Didn’t anyone say something to them? Didn’t anyone know how to shine a light in a dark place or give an answer for the hope that is in them?Marcia, Don, and Joy address all of this. They give us the background, the beliefs of its major proponents, and look at if Christians can effectively “baptize” and use practices from the occult/New Age. "Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret" is a very thorough, well-written book about the missing pieces of the Enneagram –the “Rest of the Story.”I highly recommend this book for everyone.

From Women in Apologetics:📚 BOOK BITE OF THE WEEK! 📚"Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret" by Don & Joy Veinot and Marcia MontenegroReview by: Ashley FontenotAUDIENCE: Anyone curious about the Enneagram and where it came fromTHEMES: Enneagram, New Age, Progressive Christianity, wolves in sheep's clothingSUMMARY: This book serves as an excellent guide and starter-pack for those wanting to understand where the Enneagram came from and how it has been adopted by so many evangelical circles in recent years. The Veinots and Montenegro set the scene in the first chapter by explaining the origins of the Enneagram itself, from its creation in the late 1800s/early 1900s (before it was tied to personality traits) all the way through Richard Rohr's surprising progressive influence and mentorship of modern-day, self-proclaimed Enneagram Masters including co-author of popular Enneagram-focused self-help book, "The Road Back to You." The reader will walk away with a good understanding of the evolution of the Enneagram, its New Age/occultic background, reasons it should not be normative in the Christian household, and Scripture references to back up all claims.WHAT I LIKED: The authors do an excellent job of making their case by tying in Scripture references throughout the book, including explanations of how the Enneagram could be considered a current-day "forbidden fruit" (Gen. 3 tie-in in chapter 2) or "Golden Calf" (Ex. 32 tie-in in chapter 7) and how New Ageism / seeking extra-biblical revelation is not a new tactic for the enemy.QUOTES: "The focus moves on to what you can do for yourself and seeks ways to know God and/or yourself apart from His written revelation.""It seems unwise to make a blanket statement like 'God can use anything.' For one thing, even though God can use what the Devil does to accomplish His will, that does not mean we should invite the Devil into the church pulpit."

Well-documented evidence of the true origins of the enneagram, the lack of scientific evidence, and the incompatibility with Christianity. The evidence in this book changed my mind on the subject. Unfortunately many Christian leaders are unaware of this information or don’t care.

Very informative. Knowing the beginnings of this teaching, as well as past & present connections to new age thinking, should give a follower of Jesus & the Bible clear information in discussions with others on this topic. I was briefly introduced to the enneagram a few years ago by a Christian friend who was in leadership at church. I felt uneasy about it & researched about it on my own & walked away when I learned it had occultic roots. (the originator of the system admitted that he used automatic writing to create the enneagrams... I heard him personally explain it as he was interviewed about it, available on youtube). Before I knew this fact, I already felt like it sounded too much like living your life by the horoscope & astrology, which are clearly forbidden in the Bible. It also felt like it categorized people so much, that you are placed in a box that everyone else around you, who is into enneagrams, will identify you as, even as you look at others, a kind of prejudice that can limit what you are allowed to do in an organization, based on your category. Not healthy, not Biblical. My advice, understand why this is wrong biblically, so that you can recognize error in the future & better guard your heart.

This is a superb book which should be read by anybody who has, or likely to have, any contact with the Enneagram as a tool for spiritual development or with the teachings of Richard Rohr. Maybe due to preconceptions they hold, some readers might not like the conclusions the authors reach but at least they should follow the carefully laid out evidence and logical arguments they provide. The authors have done their research thoroughly and they clearly demonstrate (spoiler alert) the dodgy origins of the Enneagram and the flimsy "evidence" that supports its use in any setting (secular or religious).Because Richard Rohr is the person originally and mainly responsible for introducing the concept of the Enneagram into church settings a whole chapter is devoted to a thorough examination of his belief system to see whether it is compatible with Biblically based Christianity or indeed with the teachings of the church of which Rohr holds office.As an unintended bonus the writers of this book have provided a model template which can be usefully deployed to carry out discernment exercises on other topics. There are some who won't like the alarm message this book provides; indeed I would be fascinated to see any reactions to this book from the named proponents of the Enneagram or those who follow Richard Rohr's writings, etc.. One thing they won't be able to say is that this book is a "hatchet job" written with the motive of proving the authors are right and the proponents of the Enneagram are downright wrong. The authors demonstrate a level of graciousness which could be usefully imitated by others who produce apologetics and discernment material.This book has not been published by one of the "mainstream" Christian book publishers (some of the latter publish material in favour of the Enneagram or Richard Rohr so it would not be in their commercial interests to publish this book) nor has it been endorsed by any of the big personalities in the Christian "world" (again, some of whom promote the Enneagram and admire Rohr). Despite its lack of backing by big "names" or publishers this is a well written and carefully presented work with footnotes, etc.. My only criticism is that it doesn't have an index (apart from Bible verses cited).

This book is one of the most important books I have read recently. Why? Because it alerts the Christian Church to a danger within her bounds that of the use of the Enneagram.The authors clearly set forth the gnostic roots of the Enneagram from its creation to G. I. Gurdjieff through various others to Richard Rohr through whom it reached the evangelical church via his pupils.The Enneagram is gnostic and, therefore, antagonistic to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.This book gives a warning call that needs to be heeded. Christians need to know and understand this danger as it spreads throughout the evangelical church . They need to read this book.

This book exposes the teachings of Richard Rohr in a very meaningful way. The book is easy to read and contain a lot of eye-opening facts about the Enneagram. As a Christian I think everyone should read this book and understand that R. Rohr’s teachings are not from God but from fallen angels and their goal is to deceive you!

I read through this book in a day! There is so much important information about the Enneagram, from its dubious origins, to the way it has infiltrated large parts of the church around the world. The authors have done a great job in flagging the dangers of the Enneagram, and those who promote it, especially Richard Rohr. I thoroughly recommend this book.

A superb expose of the Enneagram and Richard Rohr. This book does a thorough investigation into the historicity and validity of the Enneagram, and those who endorse it. The authors leave the reader in no doubt that the Enneagram should not be used or promoted by any who claim to follow Jesus. If your church/leaders are thinking of using the Enneagram, please point them to this book. I highly recommend it.