Customer Reviews

The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Many Christians feel uneasy about the Enneagram as a way of deepening self-awareness; this is mostly because the test has some connections to the Sufi religion and new age thought. That makes this book by Richard Rohr necessary and helpful to be able to gain the insight of the enneagram from a source that is operating from a Christian worldview. This book has sections on where the enneagram came from, what it is, what the 9 enneagram personality types are, and how Christians can benefit from it without adopting non-Christian ideas. The most helpful part is part II of the book which goes into depth on the 9 types, from a Christian perspective. Most helpful, Rohr identifies the root sin of each type, and how God can redeem that sin into a beautiful gift. He also talks about what gifts the types naturally have, and how we can grow in those. I have heard that the enneagram does not put people in boxes, rather, that it helps people identify what boxes they are already in and how to get out of them. This book is very helpful for understanding yourself and others, and for getting out of the boxes that are keeping you from living in a full and redeemed way.

This updated version of DISCOVERING THE ENEAGRAM is truly a gem. It does a good job of explaining Enneagram theory and an excellent scholarly job of looking at the history of the Enneagram. In addition, its descriptions of the 9 Enneagram types are well done and insightful. Each of these sections also contains many interesting historical references to important figures and event in Christian history.

I have read a lot of Enneagram books including some that were written from a Christian perspective. Within the Christian subset of books, I feel this one is "hands down" the very best. It is also in general agreement with Riso and Hudson, Helen Palmer and Sandra Maitri on the characteristics of the types. These are three of the biggest names in Enneagram study and each has a useful perspective to offer.

Rohr sees the Enneagram as both a useful psychological and spiritual tool for self growth. Psychologists and spiritual directors will really appreciate his rigor and depth. Another Christian author who uses the Enneagram for spiritual direction is James Empereur. His book THE ENNEAGRAM AND SPIRITUAL DIRECTION is also quite good.

If you are a psychologist you may also want a copy of PERSONALITY TYPES by Riso and Hudson. This book covers the 9 developmental levels of each type in detail and the associated psychological pathologies. For a general audience, THE WISDOM OF THE ENNEAGRAM by the same authors may be better because it has a more broad focus on theory and keeps the detail on each developmental level to a minimum.

Another point worth mentioning is that this updating version of Rohr's DISCOVERING THE ENNEAGRAM (retitled) covers new discoveries about the history of the Enneagram. This includes its use and possible origins in Early Christianity. This section is well-researched and you can find a lot of good references here on the history of the Enneagram.

I first discovered the Enneagram from Richard Rohr's earlier work, both the first edition of this book and some tapes. It has been life changing for me and I highly recommend it.

This book takes a very clear stand as spiritual approach, so if psychology alone is your goal, you may not like this.

Even with its religous tone, I find this a great life tool. Not only has it been so helpful to me in self healing and discovery, it has helped me so much in the workplace and social arenas.

Richard Rohr is a singular person and I recommend almost all of his works!

As a fan of Richard Rohr, i must confess I found this book quite disappointing. Having engaged in coursework on the enneagram I entered this book with some familiarity with the lens it provided.
I was very disappointed in Rohr's generalizations and use of stereotypical terms such as "Jewish mother" which I find inflammatory. I also found his assumptions as with certain types having had abusive childhoods (when this is not necessarily true). It appears that either Rohr or the other author has some personal issues with the two and seven types. As the tone of these chapters is much more negative than the rest of the book. Incidentally, in the chapter entitled "The enneagram and Jesus" there is disproportionately less space devoted to how Jesus was an enneagram 2 than any other type.
As the book appears to be translated from German and is a republication of a 1989 german edition, I give Rohr the benefit of the doubt and give him 3 stars when I really believe it worthy of only 2 stars. There is some worthwhile information presented but the manner it is presented is questionable at best.
Regardless of the author or teacher, the enneagram is a none too gentle wake up call to take a long hard look at our compulsions. Studying it is always painful if one truly invests in its philosophy. However I urge extreme caution in reading this book as I find it to have more potential for traumitization.
For a more gentle yet credible introduction to the enneagram I reccomend anything by Riso and Hudson especially THE WISDOM OF THE ENNEAGRAM. Similarly anything by Helen Palmer is excellent. For brief bare bones essentials on the enneagram, THE ESSENTIAL ENNEAGRAM by Daniels and Price will suffice. For an excellent and gentle read on the Enneagram and its relation to Kabbalah look into the two books by Rabbi Addison.
For an excellent book by Rohr read HOPE AGAINST DARKNESS: THE TRANSFORMING VISION OF SAINT FRANCIS IN AN AGE OF ANXIETY.

I first encountered Enneagram literature in the early '90s, and became engrossed, but soon felt bogged down in belly-gazing and type-analyzing, and somewhat depressed by the way the types seemed locked into their weaknesses, according to the sources I was reading at the time. Rohr and Ebert's book, on the other hand, was a breath of fresh air. The "Christian perspective" in this book is a perspective of redemption and transformation. Knowledge of one's type becomes a key toward growth and transformation, rather than a stimulus for belly-gazing. Also, the book's treatment of "wings" and different "centers" (gut, head, heart), as well as its discussion of factors that lead to type-confusion (a person of one type taking on the characteristics of another at a certain point in his/her life), helps account for the unique variations and complexities found in individual personalities. I also found it better than some of the other sources I'd read at pinpointing the essential issues of the types, and after having mis-typed myself for years, I finally made the correct identification.

A suggestion to any newcomer to the Enneagram: Explore different discussions to gain a nuanced understanding of it (as well as to avoid the pitfall of narrowing people into rigid categories). One of the beauties of the Enneagram is its complexity. Although the insights in this book were the most constructive to me, other helpful sources have been: audio recordings of Enneagram workshops led by Rohr; The Enneagram Made Easy by Baron and Wagele (a fun quick-reference, and there's a brief but interesting cross-reference with the Myers Briggs Type Indicator); http://www.9types.com/; and http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/.

The Enneagram is more than just a form of personality typology, it goes to the roots of our motivations and perceptions. For this, I have always felt secure in using the Enneagram to explore my insecurities and thusly, life lessons to be learned.

Through my years of struggling to find a simple clear message from the Christian faith, I find this book to be challenging without being offensive nor condescending. I had to put the book down several times just to mull over a single paragraph. This book is an excellent source for learning the Enneagram and, as a bonus, explains the Christian faith in a nonthreatening manner.

This book hit my personality type totally! With jaw-dropping accuracy, it brought my natural inclinations to light as a typical personality type. All of a sudden, I was not alone and there was reason for my tendencies. This book was great because it bridges the gap between your natural inclinations and where you should go as a Christian. Highly recommended!

Having heard about this book at a religious retreat, I was eager to see what the Enneagram is all about. I was not disappointed with the thoroughness of Rohr's work in presenting the Enneagram in an instructional and insightful way, and am sure that I am benefitting personally from what I learned about the types. My only misgiving is that there are several locations in the book where Rohr makes pretty strong references to Western culture's exploitation of the Third World, and seems to advocate mass redistribution of wealth to correct this injustice. These are brief assertions, and don't dominate the book in any way. However, obviously, the world is far more complicated than a simple answer like this to social economic differences. I found this position particularly striking in light of the fact that he himself states that Third World people tend to be type NINEs, which he says is common for those not yet affected by civilization. He even suggests that such people may be happier than us. I would still recommend this book, but keep in mind that Rohr has a perspective unique to his history, just as we all do. So don't accept his opinions regarding social justice at face value. It's okay to have your own view.

This book is friendly while helping one to see one's REAL self...and giving insight and well as practical ways to grow and change for the better. I am buying a copy for each member of my family! By far, the best "self-help" book I've read...

I have read the Don Riso enneagram books and years ago had read a book by Richard Rohr on the Enneagram with some Christian perspective. I don't even remember the title. In searching for that I stumbled on this and was refreshed to know how this fits in with my faith. I truly believe God creates us all beautifully and understanding each persons core way of thinking (through the enneagram) helps me to view others through Jesus eyes with a more caring spirit. There were a few areas were I felt it wasn't truly biblically based but they were few and far between. Overall, a VERY enlightening read, one that I will reread and reuse many times over.