The Gospel for the Enneagram 9
The Peacemaker
The 9’s: The Peacemakers
The Enneagram Peacemakers value and feel the need for an inner equilibrium that feels like contentment with whatever happens. If 8’s are constantly projecting power out in challenging, and 1’s are constantly focusing power in to reforming themselves, then 9’s avoid power, avoid conflict, avoid bother. 9’s are convinced that if you ignore a problem long enough, it’ll probably go away.
The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective tells this story: “One day a man comes to [a 9 Rabbi] and bitterly complains about his shrewish wife, winding up with the desperate announcement: ‘I’m getting a divorce!’ The rabbi has listened with great attention and sympathy; at the end he nods thoughtfully, ‘Yes, you’re quite right.’ The next day the wife comes to [the Rabbi] and laments her husband’s bad habits. Her tirade likewise ends with the threat, ‘I’m getting a divorce!’ Once again the rabbi has listened, and again he nods and says, ‘Yes, you’re right.’ [The Rabbi’s] disciple, who has witnessed both meetings, later takes the rabbi to task: ‘But you can’t tell him today he’s right—and then tell her tomorrow that she’s right. That won’t do.’ Once more the rabbi has listened attentively, and again he nods: ‘Yes, and you’re right too.’”
9’s are well-liked and popular because they don’t have hidden agendas. They aren’t trying to get things from people or use people as their security blanket or source of love. Because they don’t have their own agenda, they tend to either develop an interest for what others are into OR spend a great amount of energy deadening any highs or lows they might have so they won’t be bothered by anything, which is funny because the result of doing this is exhaustion. When too many demands are made upon them, they can withdraw and seek numbness through TV, eating, or napping in the middle of the day.
The 9’s sin is apathy or sloth, but they, like all the numbers, deceive themselves into thinking it’s a virtue. They just don’t want to rock the boat. They don’t want to bother people, or what they want isn’t important.
Examples of 9’s: Walt Disney, Ronald Regan, Jack Johnson, Mr. Rogers, George W. Bush, Whoopie Goldberg, Janet Jackson, Audrey Hepburn, Morgan Freeman, George Lucas, Jimmy Stewart, Pam in the Office, Olaf from Frozen and Winnie the Pooh, Baloo. Some people think Jonah was a 9: an unwilling prophet. Very concerned with only doing what was easy and comfortable.
More Agreeable Coping Mechanism
Now, you might be thinking at this point that 9’s are way better than 8’s or 1’s. It’s Fidel Castro and Osama Bin Laden versus Walt Disney and Winnie the Pooh. But here’s the deal: The 9’s coping mechanism is just more socially agreeable than the 8’s or 1’s.
When people were asked to quarantine: a 9’s reaction might’ve been like: “Okay, whatever.” A 1’s might’ve said, “I gotta do this so no one criticizes me!” An 8’s might’ve said, “Who’s gonna make me? I challenge all assumptions.”
When Putin started taking over: some 9’s might’ve been like: “What’s happening? Oh, okay. Whatever.” The 1’s might’ve said, “This isn’t right,” and posted criticisms left and right. But the 8’s went to fight. The point is that everyone’s sin looks different.
A 9 who takes the path of least resistance is just as guilty of defying the Lord as the 8’s who may shamelessly bulldoze people. Man judges by outward appearance; God judges the heart. We all desperately need Jesus far more than we ever imagined.
If we believe we’re only marginal sinners, we can only forgive other’s marginal sins. But if we know that our very personalities are steeped in self-preservation and self-righteousness and self-made contentment, then God himself can enter our personalities and transform them. And then we can give grace to even the ugliest of sinners.
Gospel for the 9’s
The Gospel for the 9’s is the good news that the 9’s don’t have to manufacture their own ambitions or desires or oomph. God’s got that covered. God has a role for the 9’s to play in this body of Christ. You see, while everyone else is trumpeting their favorite value of God—Joy! Righteousness! Obedience! Wisdom! Beauty! Like hitting the same note on the piano over and over again—God made the 9’s to deeply desire all the notes of the piano to play in harmony with each other. That is, to play out their virtue at the appropriate time, according to the grand conductor who is God. But the 9’s can only have this marvelous cohesion called peace in and outside themselves by giving up their desire to avoid and joining God’s plan. God has a part for you!
“Awake Oh Sleeper! And arise from the dead and the Lord will shine on you.” Eph 5:14 When 9’s give themselves over to God’s action, they can be a peace bringing in their actions and speaking up and equipping others so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith. (Eph 4:12-13)
That is the Gospel for the Enneagram 9’s.