I was not catechized as a kid. I don’t know if it is because catechism was a foreign concept to my parents, or if it was because I grew up in a Roman Catholic country, where catholicism is engrained in the culture, and there is a lot of repetition with very little belief. For whatever reason, this is something I wasn’t exposed to as a kid. Now that my own kids are teenagers, I have only recently discovered catechisms.
According to Meriam-Webster, a catechism is “a summary of religious doctrine often in the form of questions and answers.” Different religions have their own catechisms. Two catechisms I’ve encountered are the Heidelberg catechism and the Westminster catechism. They are a series of questions about the different aspects of theology, along with the answers supported by Scripture.
The idea is the teacher asks a question, and the students respond in unison with a memorized answer. For example, question 1 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is “What is the chief end of man?” And the answer is “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” The Scriptures that supports this answer include 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Psalm 73:25-26.
For those who grew up in a strict or legalistic environment that required catechism, it can be difficult to separate catechism from negative memories, but most adults I’ve asked who were catechized as children are grateful. They have had the memorized answers bouncing around in their memories as the world seems to have spun out of control.
But let me encourage you. God’s timing is perfect. So you are not too old to be catechized. And, truth be told, you may understand and appreciate it more as an adult. It is never too late to learn the catechism questions and answers and to dive into the Scripture that teaches the principles.
Are you ready to learn about things like justification, the commandments, and prayer? If so, join me in learning the Westminster Shorter Catechism. I have linked a couple of resources, and I will be creating posts of the different questions each week on my Instagram account.
Right at a year ago, I published a blog post about the enneagram. In it, I explained why I deleted a post from my social media, and I detailed some of my experience with the enneagram up to that point. I have spent the last year wrestling with the usefulness of the enneagram in the life of a believer.
Lest you think I have come to my conclusions lightly, let me fill you in on my background with the enneagram.
My Enneagram Story
I first heard of the enneagram while listening to a business podcast. I remember the moment because, since I was walking my neighborhood, I had to rewind the episode to hear the name again. I still couldn’t spell it until I looked it up on Google. After that, it seemed to come up every time I turned around. It was discussed in my network marketing team, my business memberships, all over my social media, and even in Christian circles.
I started doing research to see if the enneagram was biblical, and I found that many well-respected Christian leaders and teachers were including it in their personal lives and ministries. And as I started digging deeper, I became more and more interested. I started reading all of the books, and I took the tests several times.
I struggled to nail down my number until I was introduced to my enneagram mentor. She is a wonderful Christian lady who teaches the enneagram from a biblical perspective. She approaches the enneagram by listing an attribute of God for each of the numbers, and as His image bearers, we get to show off his attributes in our numbers. She also teaches it through the lens of the harmony triad—where your number creates a triangle with two other numbers, and your goal is to find a balance between those three numbers to live as God created you.
If you are familiar with the enneagram, you know this is not the traditional way of approaching it. This was something that drew me to her teaching. I wanted to see it through the lens of Scripture, and her method seemed to align with that goal. I went on to take courses, read more books, receive a certificate, and finally become an enneagram coach.
That’s right, a client could set up an appointment with me after taking the test, and I would walk her through her results so she could understand what her numbers said about her. I was invested! I saw the enneagram as a tool to help us conform to the image of Christ.
From my training, I created multiple graphics and put together a PowerPoint presentation to help others understand what I had come to know. I had months’, if not years’, worth of social media and blog content. I had plans to talk about different people in the Bible with their respective numbers, and use them as examples for us to follow.
The day finally came about a year into my journey to post my first graphic. It was a simple image of the wheel with the numbers listed along with their corresponding attributes of God. Shortly after posting the graphic, I had multiple comments and likes as well as invitations to speak on podcasts for Christian women. It was a hit!
Normally, I would have taken this as confirmation that I was on the right track… until I started reading the comments. All of them were positive, but they weren’t what I expected. Many of the comments cheered for a specific number or expressed amazement that they had never looked at the enneagram that way until reading my post. It was then that the conviction hit, and within hours of publishing it, I deleted the post and began rethinking all of the plans I had made. It was a very humbling experience, and I am embarrassed that it took me so long to submit to the conviction.
I realized that the enneagram would never lead my readers to Jesus. It didn’t matter how much my reader understood about herself because the answer is not found in her. I didn’t want to point her to a man-made tool; I wanted to point her to Scripture.
The Origins of the Enneagram
I remember when I was young asking my dad, “what if a bunch of men got together and made up Christianity and wrote the Bible just to see how many people would follow them?” I now firmly believe the Bible is God’s inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word, but this question is a reflection of how the enneagram came to be.
A couple of men—very intelligent men—pulled from information they had learned throughout their lives and put it together to create the enneagram. They claimed it was an ancient tool (they later revealed that this was false), and they began sharing it with others in their field.
To make matters worse, they practiced automatic writing in the creation of the enneagram. Automatic writing is a method that employs a psychic experience to unconsciously produce written word. When the writer comes to, he is surprised by what he wrote because it didn’t come from him. This is a demonic practice, and this is how the enneagram came to be. The authors channeled a spirit that wrote the information that formed the enneagram we know today.
The origins of the enneagram should give us pause.
At this point, it is normal to hear the argument that God can use worldly things to accomplish His purposes. I agree with that statement because God can redeem whatever He wants to redeem. We, however, cannot redeem anything. And why would God want to redeem the enneagram since He has given us everything we need for life and godliness in His Word? (2 Peter 1:3)
One of the reasons I enjoyed the enneagram so much was because I believed it helped me understand people better. If I knew their number, I was able to communicate with them in a way to which they would respond. I would be able to serve them in a way they would appreciate. I would be able to relate to them better as a friend. But the truth is the enneagram limits our scope rather than expanding it.
The Bible teaches us how to communicate, how to serve, and how to relate to others, but it doesn’t limit us to our number in order to do so. In Christ we have the freedom to serve how God wants us to serve, not merely how our number allows.
The Purpose of the Enneagram
I touched on this in my previous post, but I want to expound on it here. The enneagram is a tool for self-discovery. It is intended to help you understand yourself and why you do what you do. It is not intended to judge you if you do something wrong but simply to inform on why you do it. It encourages what is known as “navel gazing.”
Scripture tells us we are fallen, we have a sin nature, we are the problem. If we are busy looking at ourselves, we will not be looking at Jesus or at others. As Allie Beth Stuckey says in her book, You’re Not Enough and That’s Okay, “You can’t be both the problem and the solution.” Therefore, no amount of “navel gazing” will lead you to the solution.
This also leads to pride and a reluctance to repent of sin. More often than not, as I learned about a specific sinful behavior or personality trait, rather than repent, I would simply chalk it up to my number, “That’s just my one showing” (I actually said things like “pull back on your one and lean in to your seven” to my daughter! [she said while blushing]).
Another expression of pride I have often heard goes something like this, “The eight in me wants me to ….” In other words, our number becomes an excuse to do something we think we shouldn’t do. But can we really expect a tool that is intended for self-discovery to do anything other than create pride in our hearts?
The Answer to the Question
So the answer to the title of this post is “no.” Christians do not need to use the enneagram in their personal lives, in their ministries, or in their businesses.
While it is not my intention to judge you if you have found value in the enneagram—I’m obviously in no position to do that considering I led so many people down this path—it is my intention to give you food for thought. The Lord used that social media post to convict me, and He brought podcasts after blog posts after conversations to my attention in order to draw me closer to Him and help me realize I was wandering away from Him. Maybe He will use this blog post in your life in a similar way.
My friend Natalie Eskew has graciously shared her story. It is a story of rebellion, forgiveness, and restoration after her abortion. God has allowed her to use her story not only to embrace and encourage others who have traveled that path, but also to warn and admonish those who consider that same path today.
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I’m Breaking My Silence
I don’t usually talk about politics publicly, but the pro-life conversation is a personal one for me. I’m not just another person who says abortion is wrong. I KNOW it’s wrong. I speak from experience.
Almost 17 years ago, I got rid of “it”.
I believed ALL the lies.
It’s a clump of cells.
It will stop you from your dreams.
Natalie Eskew shares her story of redemption after abortion.
You can’t be a single mom.
This is MY choice.
You name it, in my fear, I believed the enemy’s lies.
And here’s the thing…
I knew it was wrong.
I knew “it” was a girl.
I saw her heartbeat.
All I ever wanted to be was a mom.
I did it anyway.
I knew it was murder.
I was so caught up in my mess, I did it anyway.
I knew it was wrong so much that I was convinced I was going to hell.
How could God forgive me?
I killed my child.
So, this is personal.
Here’s where I stand, all these years later.
I mourn… my ignorance, her life, our life together. But God is healing me and restoring me. I know that my daughter is waiting without judgement in heaven for me. She was/is real.
Her life matters.
I wonder what she would have been like.
I wonder at how amazing of a big sister she would be to my girls.
I mourn for her life.
Because that’s what it was. It was HER life. It wasn’t my choice to make. That’s not my call. I’m not God.
So, a few things:
God forgives. Yes, even this. He forgives and if you need to talk about your abortion, send me a message. I am here to listen and point you towards healing.
It takes a miracle to make a baby, which means that baby was intricately woven and planned by our Father. Scripture is clear. There is no such thing as unplanned.
There are resources out there for you. There are clinics that support women fully through pregnancy (I work with one and will direct you to their services if you are in need). There are organizations that ask no questions, just help you save your baby’s life and find a home for him/her.
Pro-life for me is being there when a woman finds out she’s pregnant and sharing the Gospel and with it, hope. It’s being there for single, struggling mothers. It’s fostering children. It’s all encompassing. It should be.
This bears repeating. Only God could forgive a sinner like me… and He does. He remembers our sins no more when we come to Him in repentance. There is enough grace for you. For all of us.
Emily Joy would have turned 16 this year. My life is less because she’s not in it.
Note: I’m not trying to create a comment war. I finally decided to speak because I’m seeing how God wants to use Emily’s life for good. If I can save one baby because I shared the story of my abortion, it’s Him working her life for good. If I can help a friend who had an abortion (they say 1/4 to 1/3 of us have) then I want to help her not hate herself as I have hated myself for decades. And for the one who thinks she’s past saving… that there’s no hope for her… well, friend, there’s Jesus and He will never reject you. He is your hope. His eyes are filled with compassion for you and His arms are open to hold you as you weep. He loves you. He died for you. Yes, even knowing what you would do, He said you were worth it. YOU are still loved. You are still His child. You are safe with Jesus.
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The story doesn’t end there. If you would like to read Natalie’s follow-up blog post, “There Is Healing,” you can read it here.
I remember when Natalie first told me her story almost two years ago. She was sitting on the floor of my hotel room. It was late, and we had been talking for several hours. I could tell she wasn’t sure she could trust me with her story, but she took the risk. She knew God had plans for her story, and she and God had wrestled through the sin together. It has been an honor to watch as God has brought her to the place of sharing her story publicly, knowing she can trust Him to bring beauty from ashes.
While I do not believe you have to experience something in order to address the topic, the message is incredibly powerful when it is shared by someone who has walked that road. I’m so grateful to Natalie for speaking out on behalf of those who have no voice.
Out of respect for my guest, I will not approve any disrespectful comments. While you are entitled to your opinion, you are not entitled to post on my page.
This fallen world has a knack for turning everything on its head: what was bad is now good, what was wrong is now right, 2+2 no longer equals 4, and fear has become a virtue.
Before 2020, it was common for me to see several posts per day in my social media feeds telling me to “do it scared,” “rise above the fear,” or “let your faith be bigger than your fear.” I noticed a dramatic decrease of those pretty graphics around the same time the lockdowns began. It seems like we have accepted fear as our “new normal” instead of something we need to work through, rise above, or defeat.
Origin of Fear
As Christians, it is important for us to understand the origin of fear. Some teach that fear is innate; we were created with a “fight or flight” response that was intended to protect us from predators. But that’s not what the Bible teaches.
Man was not created fearful. Man was created and placed into a perfect world where there was nothing to fear—no natural disasters, no illness, no violence.
When you read Genesis, you discover that all of the animals (and humans) were vegetarian, so they didn’t hunt each other. Rain did not make its appearance until the flood. And think about the fact that Eve was not startled by a talking snake. There was nothing to fear in the Garden of Eden. And then man sinned.
Fear Began at the Fall
The first time fear is mentioned in Scripture is after the fall. Adam heard God in the garden, and he was afraid. God had never given Adam a reason to fear Him, yet once Adam sinned and realized he had broken God’s one command, he was afraid. Fear is a result of sin, and fear is learned through our experiences.
Fear Is Learned
Children are fearless. They have to be taught to steer clear of campfire flames, be careful with sharp objects, and back away from steep drop offs. Fear is not innate; it is learned through experiences. Even a child’s fear of the dark doesn’t begin until she has seen or heard something that causes the fear.
The same can be said for adults. Our fears come from our past experiences or what we have learned. There have been times when friends have expressed a fear that seems ridiculous to me, not because I think my friends are ridiculous, but because I haven’t shared their experiences, and therefore do not share their fears. And there have been times when I have shared a fear that seems completely unfounded to my listeners.
Fears, like every other thought, are based on our beliefs. In fact, analyzing our fears is a great way to nail down what we actually believe. Do we really believe God is in control? Do we truly believe our days were numbered before we were even conceived? Do we really believe all things work together for God’s glory? Or do our fears contradict what we claim to believe?
I can honestly say I have been challenged in this area lately. I found that my anxiety was overwhelming me even though I have never been a naturally anxious person. I was consuming too much of the world, and my fears were reflecting beliefs I didn’t realize were taking root.
Fear Is a Lie
Let me be clear: your feelings of fear are real, but the object of your fear is a lie. Fear is based on a prediction of something that hasn’t happened yet, and may not happen at all. We think we can foresee an outcome based on past experiences, and while this may be true when it comes to touching a hot stove, it cannot be applied to our circumstances.
Whether I’m afraid of illness, suffering, loss, embarrassment, or any number of other things, the fear is me trying to predict the future based on past experiences, not truth. And my goal in that fear is to protect myself, yet I have no control over anything that happens.
My friend, Anneliese said it this way: “Fear is the frantic attempt to know the unknowable; to defend oneself from adversity in advance, to anticipate the worst and never let one’s guard down. It seeks to walk by sight in direct contradiction to our calling as Christians to walk by faith” (@feminine_not_feminist on Instagram).
How To Overcome Fear
The King James Version of the Bible uses the phrase “Fear not” 365 times, but the topic of fear (and similar ideas) is discussed in Scripture more than 500 times. We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7 that “[…] God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
In the verse right before that, Paul tells Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God.” We can overcome fear by focusing on “fanning into flame the gift of God” instead of dwelling on our fears.
You might be thinking it is impossible to control your thoughts. The fears are there whether you want them or not. But your mind cannot multitask. It cannot focus on two things at the same time. So when you find your thoughts turning to fear, you can steer your mind to other things instead.
What you dwell on, grows. What you consume is what you will produce. Choose to consume and dwell on the things of God, so those things will grow.
When I noticed my anxiety levels rising, I had to attack the false beliefs of fear with the Truth of Scripture. I memorized Scriptures that I would recite when I felt the fear gripping me. When I focus on the verses I’m quoting, my mind can’t think about the fear.
1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” Since love and fear can’t coexist, use moments of worry, fear, and anxiety to remind you about the people you love, to push you to develop your love for Jesus, or to plan something for your spouse or children. Rather than allowing your fear to drag you down, use it as a trigger to better love those around you.
Why We Hold On to Fear
It might surprise you to realize that fear makes us think we have control. We hold on to our fear because it gives us the sense that there is something we can do to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe or comfortable. It convinces us that we know the best course of action to take.
But 1 Peter 5:6-7 says to “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” You are invited to give up your fears and lay them at the feet of Jesus, but it takes humility. It takes giving up the semblance of control. It takes acknowledging your weakness. Are you willing to do that?
“God invites you to hope-driven obedience. The enemy wants fear-bound stagnancy” (Anneliese).
Don’t let the world define your “normal.” Christ came to give us abundant life (John 10:10), not a life of fear. Scripture challenges us to overcome our fears, set our minds on things above, and lean into the knowledge that we are known and loved by our Creator!
For so long in our country, Christianity has been the norm. Events weren’t planned on Sundays because it was expected that most families would be in church. Telling someone you were at a church event didn’t raise any eyebrows. Even now, when the tide seems to be turning, you will find people in church at least twice each year: Christmas and Easter.
But as times change, the pendulum appears to be swinging, and it is no longer “cool” to be a Christian. There is a certain amount of pressure being applied for people to leave the church and disregard its teachings. And one thing is clear, our churches have been full of cultural Christians and nominal Christians.
Nominal and Cultural Christianity
Nominal Christians are those who aren’t firmly grounded in the Word. They may know all of the Sunday school answers and may even be familiar with most of the stories in the Bible, but they don’t have a deep personal relationship with Christ. And when it is a little uncomfortable to stand on biblical principles against their friends, neighbors, or family members, they fall away.
Cultural Christians are those who think they are grounded in the Word. They might even be teachers and preachers. But when the Gospel butts up against a cultural issue, the cultural Christian twists Scripture to fit the culture rather than standing up for Truth.
If you visit a country where Christians are persecuted; where they are beaten and imprisoned; where they risk losing their families, homes, and jobs just for deciding to follow Christ, you will not meet any cultural Christians. Cultural Christianity only happens in countries where Christianity is comfortable and maybe even expected.
Scripture gives us a great example of cultural Christianity when the Israelites were in the wilderness.
The Golden Calf
The Israelites had witnessed the plagues in Egypt. They had watched God part the Red Sea and had wiped the dust, not mud, off their feet on the other side. They had witnessed the thunder and fire on Mt. Sinai before Moses climbed it. Yet they allowed the culture to dictate their beliefs instead of trusting what God had said.
In Exodus 32, we see the Israelites take gold they had plundered from the Egyptians (Ex. 12:35-36) that was meant for the tabernacle (Ex. 25:1-7) and give it to Aaron, Moses’s brother and the future priest of Israel, demanding he make an idol. Aaron’s leadership was dictated by popular opinion, not by what God had said or done. As soon as it was no longer popular to be godly, Aaron caved to what the people wanted.
Once the calf was crafted, the people worshipped it and said, “These are the gods who brought us out of Egypt!”
Every time I read this passage, I wonder if there was anyone in the crowd who spoke up. How could the Israelites watch Aaron make this statue from the gold they provided and then worship it, claiming it brought them out of Egypt? Surely there were those in the crowd who refused to worship. But did they speak up?
The other thing I wonder is how Aaron must have felt as soon as Moses stepped off the mountain and saw the sin of the people. We get an idea when Aaron immediately starts making excuses. He reminds Moses how the people are “set on evil,” and he claims he threw the gold in the fire and “out came this calf.” I’m sure his heart broke and he never forgot the consequences of this sin as he watched while 3,000 people died because they were determined to turn their backs on God.
Are We Any Better?
It is easy for us to shake our heads at Aaron and the Israelites. This seems like such an obvious infraction. Surely, we would never do such a thing! But as I watch my social media feed and hear respected Bible teachers offer up a false gospel that is motivated by cultural ideas rather than Scripture, I wonder if we are really that much better than the Israelites.
My pastor often says,
“What one generation tolerates, the next generation accepts, and the next generation embraces.”
As Christians in America, we have sat silent while the culture infiltrates our churches. We have been tolerant as cultural Christians preach a false gospel. We have “loved” others while accepting their sin.
There are things in Scripture that are open to interpretation. That is why there are different denominations. But there are many things in the Bible that God commands his followers to obey. There is no question. There is no doubt. They are clear. Yet we try to blur the line and redefine words to justify them through our cultural lenses.
True Christianity
But there is hope! I also see the church waking up! I see true believers standing for what is right and resisting cultural Christianity. I see preachers upholding truth against the attacks of the enemy that seem to be coming from every direction. It isn’t too late to stand up. It isn’t too late to teach Truth. We can push back against the cultural and social ideas that are threatening Christianity. But it will take courage; it might take sacrifice; it won’t be easy.
So how do we do it? How do we make sure our Christianity is true with all of the ideas being thrown at us? We have to start with Scripture, not culture. We have to know the Word so we can allow our worldview to be shaped by Truth. If we allow Scripture to dictate our worldview, when an unbiblical idea comes our way, we will recognize it for what it is.
That’s what it means to be a true Christian. It means the truth of the Gospel is more important than your comfort, your wealth, and even your life.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on this critical theory and cultural marxism. I have pieced together what I know from sources who are experts, and I will refer you to them in this post.
Critical Theory
I was first introduced to the idea of critical theory when I was in college. As a literature major, one of the main topics in all of my classes was Literary Criticism and Theory. And if you took a literature class at any point in your college career, you were exposed to this idea, too. Literary criticism is the lens through which you see the piece of literature.
There are many different types of literary criticism. You could use feminist criticism in which you look at how women are treated in the piece of literature. You could also apply Marxist criticism, which looks at the economic status of the characters. Another option is historical criticism, where you look at the historical context of the piece and what it says about the culture as a whole, and the list goes on and on.
Critical theory is similar to literary criticism in that it is the lens through which you see the world around you. It is not limited to literature but colors how you interpret everything and everyone with whom you come into contact. It is a worldview.
The major difference between literary criticism and critical theory is that literary criticism leaves room for accurate interpretation whereas critical theory must find an oppressor and an oppressed. In other words, critical theory doesn’t look for a truthful portrayal of events, but it looks for how one person is being oppressed by another person. And if there is no real oppression, critical theory invents it.
If you are applying critical feminist theory, you are looking for how women are being oppressed by others, not how women are actually being treated. We see this play out when we look at the wage gap between men and women. Critical theory doesn’t take into account choices that men and women make in their careers that affect the difference in pay.
If you are applying critical race theory, you are looking at how minorities are oppressed by others, not how minorities are actually being treated, or what benefits come with being in the minority. We have seen this play out recently with claims that the police target members of minorities even though the data says otherwise.
The same goes for critical Marxist theory, which looks at how a lower economic class is oppressed by a wealthier class without taking into consideration the programs provided to the lower classes, which include such things as tax breaks, free and reduced lunches in public school, food stamps, etc. And there are many other types of critical theory.
Cultural Marxism
Critical theory is what has given a voice to marxism in the United States. Traditional Marxism is based on economic principles, but if you follow it through to its logical conclusion, it is actually based on power. Whoever has the money has the power, so marxism is about power, not economics. When you reframe it that way, it is easy to see that marxism can take many different avenues as entry points into a culture.
In America, a capitalist country, it was difficult to convince people that standing in a bread line was not only acceptable but also desirable. After all, we are the great American experiment and many have achieved the American dream. So an attack on the economic front didn’t work.
As a result, Marxism began looking for other points of disparity in our country. Marxists set out to convince women, minorities, and homosexuals that they are oppressed and took advantage of every opportunity to “prove” it. And unfortunately, the media only reports on events or incidents that appear to demonstrate the oppression.
Because there is always an oppressor and an oppressed, there can never be unity. Critical theory seeks to topple whoever is in power and replace them with a different group, who will then also need to be toppled and replaced. It is a never-ending cycle.
Not only does critical theory undermine the very fabric of our nation, but also it gives a platform for victimhood. Because there is always an oppressor and an oppressed, the “oppressed” feel empowered to lean into their victimhood. This idea will be discussed more in a future blog post.
Christian Response
As Christians, how do we combat the ever-growing popularity of critical theory? Because it is a worldview, the only way to confront it is with a biblical worldview. It can only be confronted with the truth. Critical theory is a worldview that does not hold up to the scrutiny of Scripture.
Scripture tells us that there is only one race, the human race. It also tells us to love God and love people (in fact, this is basically the theme of the entire Bible). If we do this well, there will be no oppression, we will see individuals as image-bearers of God and not as members of a group, and we will love people enough to guide them through a spiritual transformation instead of judging them for their choices.
As Christians, it is so important for us to spend time in the Word of God so we have the weapons we need to fight these lies from the enemy. If you struggle to study the Bible, I invite you to download my free workbook, 6 Steps to Study the Bible on Your Own. Just enter your information below to receive the workbook in your inbox.
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Resources
I know this is a brief introduction to this topic, and I encourage you to do some research on your own. Here are a few resources to get you started:
