In 1989, at the age of thirty, facing financial struggles and family responsibilities, I decided to return to school. This was possibly the worst time to consider attending college. We had no savings. Our bills were overwhelming. Checks were bouncing. And if not for the assistance of my parents, sister, and brother-in-law, we would certainly have lost our beautiful home.

With tuition assistance from the hospital where I worked as a registration clerk, I moved forward on this challenging journey. For years, I juggled borrowing money from my family for each class and repaying them with reimbursements from the hospital at the end of each semester. Receiving my nursing degree was a gift from God who transformed my adversities into triumph.

While attending college, my passion for writing was revealed during an English Comp class. I enjoyed writing so much that I considered changing my major. But my love for nursing overrode the romantic fantasy of writing.

Almost fifteen years later, I joined a Christian writers’ group in Orlando, and my passion for writing was reignited. During one of our meetings, a guest author revealed her success as a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul. Fascinated, and filled with insecurity, I sent in my first submission and was ecstatic to learn that it was accepted.

In 2007, my short story “A Peaceful Day” was published in Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul: Second Dose edition published by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and LeAnn Thieman, LPN. It was wonderful to see my words in print, especially since I believed this to be a Christian publication.

In 2015, my second short story “Lip Service” was accepted in the Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Nurses: 101 Stories of Appreciation and Wisdom edition—by this time the books were published by Amy Newmark and LeAnn Thieman.

In 2018, I published on social media my testimony of deliverance from practicing the occult, and salvation in Jesus Christ that occurred in 1997. This connected me with many Christian ministries, specifically those that exposed the occult.

That is when a brother in Christ alerted me that Chicken Soup for the Soul was not Christian and that the original creator of this publishing company, Jack Canfield, was a New Ager. I was stunned at the news. He suggested that I distance myself from it since my ministry was to expose the dangers of occult practices. There was no way to “unpublish” my stories. But I promised him that I would research the information and post a blog about it. This was about six years ago.

Today, I found copies of Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul books and re-read my stories, both containing scriptural passages. While prayerfully considering how to write about this, the following points came up:

  1. Even though the publication is not Christian, my voice as a Christian was not silenced.
  2. Many people who potentially read my stories that openly glorified God, were exposed to a Christian point of view they may not have experienced in other types of media.

Nevertheless, the fact that the spiritual and ethical values of the publishers do not align with my Christian faith cannot justify supporting it.

In a Lighthouse Trails Research Project article, “The New Age Implications of The Chicken Soup for the Soul Phenomenon,” Ray Yungen, writes about how the success of these books has impacted the lives of many Christians. 

Yungen explains that Jack Canfield’s New Age spirituality is quite disturbing from a Christian viewpoint. “In 1981, in the Science of Mind magazine, an interview revealed Canfield was no less than a teacher of the highly occultic ‘psychosynthesis’ method developed by a direct disciple of Alice Bailey. In some of his more recent writings, Canfield openly reveals he had his ‘spiritual awakening’ in a yoga class in college where he felt God ‘flowing’ through all things. Hence, Canfield also promotes many occult writers.” Mark Victor Hansen is also exposed regarding his foreword in a book about Eastern and New Age metaphysical content, psychics, mediums, astrologers, mystics, and other occult practices

.https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/the-new-age-implications-of-the-chicken-soup-for-the-soul-phenomenon/

A blog post from 2022 by Susan Brinkmann titled, “The Dark Side of those Warm and Fuzzy Chicken Soup for the Soul Books” reinforces Yungen’s sentiments. She describes Canfield as a New Age guru, a follower of The Secret, a proponent of the Law of Attraction, and a follower of many other occult beliefs. Brinkmann writes that Chicken Soup for the Soul is filled with feel-good stories,” steeped in questionable spiritual practices by Mormons, Indian gurus, psychics, and shaman contributors.

https://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/9585

Amy Newark, the current editor-in-chief and publisher of Chicken Soup for the Soul in an interview with Vice, stated, “We don’t know how we ever got the reputation for being a Christian publishing company, as we have never been that.” Newmark explained that the company finds the terms “Christian values” and “Christian ideals” to be offensive, “as they imply that people who follow other religions or are atheists somehow do not have the same values as someone who practices Christianity.”

https://www.vice.com/en/article/43gx73/the-church-of-crying-why-americans-are-devoted-to-chicken-soup-for-the-soul

Newark’s husband, Bill Rouhana, CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment states on the company’s website:

“Since 1993, Chicken Soup for the Soul has been a socially conscious company that combines storytelling with making the world a better place. We began by being as inclusive as possible in the pages of our books, publishing stories by people of all faiths, nationalities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. We have also shared our revenues with nonprofit organizations that do good in the world. We provide entertainment, inspiration, and wellness across many platforms in addition to our books, including TV, movies, and video programming; podcasting; positive journalism; and pet food. We continue to tell the stories of all people through our efforts, always with an eye to furthering unity and understanding, and an appreciation for our differences. The members of our team are diverse, representing many ethnicities, religions, nationalities, and the LGBTQ community.”

Yes, the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand is not just about “feel good” stories, it’s about inclusivity, diversity, and even pet food.

In light of all this information, Chicken Soup for the Soul’s values contradicts my Christian worldview. And I believe that although the stories may be uplifting, they can potentially be spiritually unhealthy for the soul.

Ephesians 5:11 reminds us to, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”