Kathryn Kuhlman
Kathryn Johanna Kuhlman (May 9, 1907 - February 20, 1976) was a 20th Century American faith healer. She believed in miracles and deliverance by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was part of the Pentecostal arm of Protestant Christianity. She was born in Concordia, Missouri to German parents and died in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following open-heart surgery.
Life
According to Kuhlman, she was born-again at the age of fourteen in the Methodist Church of Concordia, and began preaching in the West at the age of fifteen.
In the mid-1930's, Kuhlman met evangelist Burroughs A. Waltrip, whom she invited to preach at the Denver Tabernacle where she was the founder and pastor. Waltrip left his wife to be with Kuhlman, and after his divorce was final, married her in October 1938. This resulted in the decline of Kuhlman's ministry in Denver and Waltrip's in Mason City, Iowa. They left Mason City and traveled throughout the country, always dogged by news about their past. Kuhlman finally left Waltrip in 1944, and in 1948 Waltrip divorced Kuhlman. Moving to Franklin, Pennsylvania, Kuhlman put the marriage behind her and thereafter presented herself as Miss Kuhlman.
Kuhlman traveled extensively around the United States and in many other countries holding "healing crusades" between the 1940s and 1970s. She had a weekly TV program in the 1960s and 1970s which aired nationally called I Believe In Miracles. Noted pianist Dino Kartsonakis was featured on the program and live crusades. A radio program with her messages also aired for many years.
Following a fellowship in 1967 Kuhlman in Philadelphia, Dr. William A. Nolen conducted a case study of 23 people who claimed to have been cured during her services.[1] Nolen's long term follow ups concluded "there were no cures among those case."[1] Furthermore, "one woman who was said to have been cured of spinal cancer threw away her brace and ran across the stage at Kuhlman's command; her spine collapsed the next day, according to Nolen, and she died four months later."[1]
In 1972, she was granted an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Oral Roberts University.
In 1973, Benny Hinn attended one of her "healing crusades", which was a catalyst for his ministry.[2]
Kathryn Kuhlman is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
She is survived by her eponymous foundation: The Kathryn Kuhlman Foundation. The foundation was established in 1954, and its Canadian branch in 1970. In 1982 the Foundation terminated its nationwide radio broadcasting.
A plaque in her honor is located in the main city park in Concordia, Missouri, a town located in central Missouri on Interstate Highway 70.
Controversy and criticism
Kuhlman's critics assert that she purposely deceived her audience because there is a lack of scientific evidence to prove the validity of faith healing.[1] Furthermore, skeptics assert that faith healing is nothing more than stage magic with misdirection and showmanship, supported by no empirical evidence, and dependent on the gullibility and euphoria of an audience.
Kuhlman supporters counter that she did not touch those she would presume to heal as they approached her on the platforms of the mass meetings. Instead, she would extend her hand toward them, and they were presumed to "fall under the power" and be Slain in the Spirit. However, psychological explanations of this phenomenon do not require the person to be in physical contact with his or her subjects to achieve the same effect [citation needed].
Accounts of alleged healings were published in books that were "ghost-written" by author Jamie Buckingham of Florida. Buckingham also wrote a biography of Kathryn Kuhlman that presented an unvarnished account of her life, including a failed marriage.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Randi, James (1989). The Faith Healers. Prometheus Books. ISBN 0-87975-535-0 page 228.
- ^ "Benny Hinn Biography". The Fifth Estate. 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
- ^ Buckingham, J. (1976) Daughter of destiny: Kathryn Kuhlman...Her story. Plainfield, New Jersey: Logos International
External links
- KathrynKuhlman.com -Audio, video, and books.
- Over 30 free audio sermons by Kathryn Kuhlman (From SermonIndex.net)