In a recent video posted through Instagram, Jackie Hill Perry decried the Enneagram as “demonic”. Not only did Perry condemn the Enneagram in the strongest possible terms, she apologized for using her platform to promote it in the past.
Since Perry is a popular speaker and author in the Evangelical Industrial Complex, her condemnation of the popular personality assessment framework has not gone unnoticed. Hill’s video has elicited numerous headlines and responses in Christian media. If you are interested in them Google away. I’d like to focus on something different.
Perry stated in her video that people had previously tried to warn her about the Enneagram. Unfortunately, she dismissed the people trying to warn her as “too deep”. Eventually, having been “prompted by the Lord”, Hill decided to research the Enneagram for herself. She discovered what so many others already had: the Enneagram is evil. In my opinion, that’s the real story. Someone from Big Eva has actually condenmed something that is popular within Big Eva. This almost never happens. Good for Jackie Hill Perry.
And here’s a big plus!! You get two teachers for one. Some “days” @MelissaMoore77 is your teacher. Other days I am. Two different generations. Two different personalities, enneagram numbers and perspectives. If you don’t like one of us, there’s a chance you’ll like the other. Lol
— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) September 27, 2022
I’m listening to sad songs about death and suffering, so Enneagram 4 here checking in
— Russell Moore (@drmoore) November 23, 2022
I am not a standard E Coach in that my framework is Christian spiritual formation. So I’m also interested in how the Enneagram can support spiritual growth and God’s sanctifying work.
— Lisa Vischer (@LisaVischer) November 18, 2019
This situation is, however, not without irony. This site and others like it have regularly warned people about Jackie Hill Perry herself. Just the other day my own cousin posted a favorable quotation of Perry on Facebook. I did not respond with any warning about Perry for fear of being dismissed for being, as Jackie Hill Perry might put it, too deep. Maybe it’s time (or past time) to start giving credence to the warnings of the “too deep” Christians in your life and going the very short extra mile to research what’s being promoted in Christian cirles for yourself. You can start with the Enneagram and Jackie Hill Perry. I think you’ll conclude that neither should be promoted.
*Please note that the preceding is my personal opinion. It is not necessarily the opinion of any entity by which I am employed, any church at which I am a member, any church which I attend, or the educational institution at which I am enrolled. Any copyrighted material displayed or referenced is done under the doctrine of fair use.
