Christians Don’t Take Personality Tests

I discovered the following post, written by Jessica Pickowicz, on Michelle Lesley’s blog. I’ve written on this subject myself in Carl Jung: Psychologist or Sorcerer?   In it I examined Carl Jung’s and Isabel Briggs Myers’ typological approach to personality.  The Myers-Briggs test is designed to see what makes people tick. Christians should not take part in this sort of testing for several reasons, which I explain in my piece.  For one thing,

Jung was deeply involved with his mother and two female cousins in hypnotically induced séances. He was also involved in alchemy, fortune telling, and channeling spirits. All are occult practices. Involvement in any of this sort of thing is going against God.

And as Jessica reminds us “secular psychology and man’s wisdom can seem very smart and very alluring,” so we scour the Internet for advice.  Why do Christians bother when we know that “there is no wisdom of man that can beat-out the Wisdom of God found in Scripture (1 Cor. 1:18-31). His ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30).”

Even though Jessica entitled her piece “Daughters of the King Don’t Take Personality Tests,” men will gain insight from what she says.  So continue reading, brother!

Scrolling through my Facebook news feed this week I must have come across at least half a dozen personality tests all calling to me — all begging me to answer their questions so each one could tell me who I really am. Am I an introvert or an extrovert? Am I emotional or intellectual? Am I an Anna or an Elsa? (Okay, broke down and took that one!)

One test analyzed finger lengths by having the reader match her hand to various images of hands; each hand shape was assigned a different personality type.

Another test was ready to label its curious victim as a lion, golden retriever, otter, or other mammal.

Sign of the Zodiac

Sign of the Zodiac

And there are always those zodiacs lurking around ready to tell you exactly who you are and how you are feeling today.

So what’s the draw? Why are we (I’m speaking to women specifically) so eager to have some secular psychology test, some dim-witted computer algorithm, or some pagan superstition profile our personalities and define our character?

It’s been said that “the greatest human desire is to be KNOWN.” We just want to be known. In our broken flesh, we want to be honored, accepted, validated, and loved. And for a person who is godless, these tests are downed like painkillers. They are momentary relief, momentary security, in a world of pain, bewilderment, and fear — a world of feeling unknown.

I’ve been there myself. Before Christ, I was a junkie for this stuff. I loved my daily “horror-scope” and was especially eager to read the “love and romance” section. Why? Because when you’re lonely, when you don’t know a thing about God, His providence, sovereignty, sufficiency, and most of all His love, you reach for these things to soothe. It was a comfort to believe, even for a moment, that someone or something was steering my ship; that fate, chance, astrology, or even science could give me some direction and navigation through this life.

But here is the BIG trouble. The inexcusable rebellion is when churches pander to this. It is when churches administer these personality tests in a veiled attempt to help believers discover their spiritual gifts, identity, and purpose. It is when churches look anywhere but to His divine power for anything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

As Christians, ladies, we must reject this false teaching. Say it with me, “I am a daughter of royal birth. My Father is King of Heaven and Earth.” What more, in Heaven and Earth, do we need when our Father is the Most High God?! We must not search anywhere but Scripture for our purpose, calling, gifting, and direction. For “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Nothing about these personality tests are biblical or God-glorifying. And here are some reasons why.

1. Personality tests put the focus on self-identity and not on our chief end. Essentially, personality tests are egocentric. When we are self-focused we don’t see or appreciated the greater scope of God’s mighty, sovereign, and providential work in our lives. It’s a form of pride to be preoccupied with self-identification, covertly seeking one’s own glory. However, when I look beyond myself and I realize God’s plan for me isn’t really about me; it’s about Him and His glory, then my striving in this life should only be this: to be less like myself (or whatever best version of myself I am aspiring to be) and more like Christ (John 3:30; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:1) because I love Him. Once we realize that creation, salvation, and consummation, are all to be “to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:6a, 12, 14), then a personality test will just look like a ridiculous waste of time.

This truth should bring you a great sense of peace, dear sister. The heavy yoke of “finding yourself” is off your shoulders, because you have already been found! Rest in this. Meditate on it.  Continue reading

See our White Paper on the Occult-sorcery and learn the ways in which dabbling in the occult can cause a person spiritual damage.

 

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14 Responses to Christians Don’t Take Personality Tests

  1. Joshua March 6, 2016 at 8:09 pm #

    Interesting. What about “love languages”

  2. jody March 30, 2016 at 4:34 pm #

    I took the test from Tim Lahaye called The Spirit-Controlled Temperament. It was spot on and helped me see what my gifts of the Spirit are. I’d recommend it.

    http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Controlled-Temperament-Tim-LaHaye/dp/0842362207

    • Melissa April 28, 2016 at 4:09 am #

      Don’t be fooled by Tim Lahaye’s book. God is the only one who can tell you your spiritual gifts.God does not nee a test to tell you. He will tell you your gift when He is ready to tell you not when you want to know. I waited several months after being baptzed in water before I knew my gift. I found out what my gift was when I was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied over.

  3. Carol October 2, 2016 at 10:12 am #

    As someone who has studied psychology, this author has does not have the slightest idea of what they are talking about.

    • Joshua October 12, 2016 at 1:23 pm #

      Cool, can you explain it for us?

    • Eri September 2, 2019 at 5:11 pm #

      Neither do you or any other human being because psychology is man-made, not from God.

  4. Nicole November 1, 2016 at 11:22 am #

    I think personality tests are wonderful for a Christian. They show us how fearfully and wonderfully we are made. How God has specifically designed each one of us to fulfill his purposes and to do the jobs he has laid out before us. I think it’s really important to understand yourself. I spent a lot of time worrying about why I’m different than other people and why do I see things differently. It has brought me so much peace. I thank God for the insite He has given me by taking the Myers-Briggs.

  5. Ann December 6, 2016 at 1:12 pm #

    3 out of the 5 comments are being fooled by the god of this world and sorcery. WItchcraft is now happening inside the church. Pls open your eyes and get some discernment. Personality tests is NOT biblical!! And Carl Jung dealt with occult, Isabel Myer Briggs drew most of her work from Jung’s teaching. How in the world then that this whole personality test is not rooted in evil spirits??

  6. Surrendered March 11, 2017 at 6:45 pm #

    Interesting thread. Where in the bible does it say that Christians should not consider their personality type and how they behave as humans on earth based on their response to every day dealings as a human? I don’t get any sense from the Holy Spirit that understanding your personality type in the world, and how humans perceive you based upon how you interact as a human on earth, is anything bad or wrong, and can only be good if used as a tool to understand how the world perceives you when you are struggling in the flesh. If you are able to identify yourself in any of those personality questions, which are based on every day daily human activities, and does not blaspheme or deny God even if they don’t mention Him, and you can understand how others perceive you based on the results in the problem areas of your personality, then you actually have a view into how these behaviors either align or don’t align with God’s word, and how you can correct yourself accordingly. Knowing who you are in Christ is one thing. Acting as Christ would have you in all ways is another. Not one person in this string, including myself, acts the way God wills us 100% of the time in all dealings and things on earth. I completely agree with Nicole’s comments made on November 1st. God is not displeased that I took this test as a mandatory requirement of my employment, which has actually helped me to align with God’s word over the years. We can take anything God has created on earth and use it for good and God’s glory, or for bad. It’s up to you.

  7. Jessica June 14, 2017 at 1:05 pm #

    I disagree, personally, with the conclusions drawn in this blog post. It makes it sound like just because something is discovered by someone secular that it must be false and evil. I think the fact that there are distinct differences in people’s personalities is about as evident as it is evident that people have different eye and hair colors. I don’t see why it is harmful or sinful to want to better understand our own personalities and the personalities of others. In fact, I have found it to be extremely helpful in my own Christian life in showing understanding in dealing with other people when I recognize more about how they’re wired.

    I think the whole line of reasoning is flawed that if someone was unsaved we shouldn’t listen to anything they have to say. Paul quoted Greek poets and philosophers in Acts 17:28, 1 Corinthians 15:33, and Titus 1:12. So, based on his example, I think there’s some knowledge we can glean from unbelievers. We just need to line everything we read regarding any subject up to the plumbline of God’s word. And we must use it with the right motivation.

    If an unbeliever discovered the cure for cancer, would it be wrong to use it? I think not. The same can apply to other subjects as well.

  8. Grace February 24, 2021 at 7:30 pm #

    If personality tests are so important to Christians “finding” themselves, their gifts, and helping them be more productive in ministry, what personality tests did Paul, Peter, John, Isaiah, Daniel, King David, etc, etc, etc… take to help them? Maybe they weren’t as “in touch” with themselves back then.

  9. Richie March 2, 2021 at 8:15 am #

    Maybe the world was much more different then than now. it is much more complex now than then. I dont want to belabor the point that just because it is coming from a non-believer or a perceived non-belivers hence it makes it evil. The time of the people you quoted, they had no psychologists like we have today. Psychology as a field of science has not yet developed to a level where human behaviour can be analyzed to the level it is done with personality tests. Jesus askied “what do peole say i am?” to me, this was about personality testing to a larlge extent – consider the answers that the disciples gave, and how finally Jesus asked Peter and answer he gave. Right, the identity of Jesus is an issue of the Father revealing it; however, Jesus never said the other disciples were wrong in their answers, rather he probed them further and fruther until he got the answer he wanted to hear, which was close to who naturally and habitually he was. That’s personality testng.

  10. Ray Clark September 22, 2021 at 3:48 pm #

    Jesus does not save us so He can walk with us in our original sinful personality. He saved us so we can walk with Him as His holy personality changes our personality into His image. All “Born Again” children of God should be growing into the same holy personality as Christ Jesus.
    There is a problem in Christianity today because of the godless society we’re living in… (2 Timothy 3:1-5.) It is called Christ-less Christianity where people want Jesus as their Savior, but not their LORD. (one definition of LORD means property owner.) Either He is LORD of our all, or He is not our LORD at all.
    Psychology is about improving, esteeming, and loving our “self.” In Christ, we must “die” to our “self as we begin our new life in Christ as we mirror Him.
    If Jesus was walking on the earth today, He would not be qualified to counsel people because He doesn’t have a degree in psychology. Psychology is a Fraud by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, etc. and it is taking over Christianity causing the great “falling away” spoken of in scripture. We must Focus on Christ and the scriptures to get through this time we’re living in, because Christ is coming soon.

  11. Ray Clark September 23, 2021 at 10:34 am #

    Christian psychology is a sham as it try’s to join Faith and humanism together. C.P. are told to pray with their clients, but only silently because they may say something that the client does not need to hear. The paying client will go away.
    They’re taught not to tell the insurance co. who is paying for the clients therapy that the counselor is using prayer, scriptures, meditation, and visualization because they will not pay for advice the client could find in a Bible.
    They say to limit the client from studying scriptures at home because they will get FREE counseling from the scriptures, and they will stop coming to therapy.
    They say it is RARE for Christian psychologists to use scriptures because the scriptures are powerful. When you read the Bible, the Bible reads you. It enlightens, reproves, and rebukes sin as it leads to Christ Jesus. (1 John 2:27) With this anointing of the Holy Ghost of God living in you, you do not need any person to teach you how to live. The Spirit of Truth will Himself will teach you all things about living a life pleasing to God. You will be as free as a small child who depends on his Father for all things he needs. God through Jesus Christ is marvelous to His children!

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