KATHRYN KUHLMAN

Name: Kathryn Joanna Kuhlman
Birth Date: May 9, 1907
Birth Place: Johnson County, Missouri, U.S.
Aged: 68 years
Occupation: Evangelist
Education: Simpson University
Marital Status: Divorced
Spouse(s): Burroughs Allen Waltrip (October 18, 1938-1948)
Children: None
Death Date: February 29, 1976
Death Place: Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.

WHO WAS KATHRYN KUHLMAN?

Kathryn Kuhlman was born on May 9, 1907 near Concordia, Missouri, to German- American parents, Joseph Adolph Kuhlman and Emma Walkenhorst. She was one of four children.
Several years later, after a spiritual experience at the age 14, she began itinerant preaching, with her elder sister and brother-in-law, in Idaho. Later she was ordained by the Evangelical Church Alliance.

EARLY LIFE

Kathryn Kuhlman manifested the power of the Holy Spirit wherever she went. No matter how large or small a building was, sinner or saint always knew when Miss Kuhlman entered the building, because the whole atmosphere seemed to change.

Her life was a commitment to prayer. Traveling constantly, she prayed continuously. Before her meetings, her staff relates that Miss Kuhlman could be seen “pacing back and forth, head up, head down, arms flung into the air, hands clasped behind her back with her face covered in tears.”

PERSONAL LIFE:

Burroughs and Kathryn met when Kathryn and her friend and pianist Helen Gulliford came into Mason City, Iowa, to help him raise funds for his ministry. It was shortly after their arrival that the romance between Burroughs and Kathryn became publicly known. Then the duo decided to wed.
While discussing the matter with some friends, Kathryn had said that she could not “find the will of God in the matter.” This and other friends encouraged her not to go through with the marriage, but Kathryn justified it to herself and others by believing that Waltrip’s wife had left him, not the other way around. On October 18, 1938, she secretly married “Mister,” as she liked to call Waltrip, in Mason City. The wedding did not give her new peace about their union. However, the couple had no children. She was divorced by Burroughs Waltrip in 1948. On many occasions in the years following, she expressed feelings of remorse for her part in the pain caused by the break of Waltrip’s previous marriage, citing the children’s heartbreak as particularly troubling to her. She claimed it was the single greatest regret of her life, second only to the betrayal of her loving relationship with Jesus.

After this event, Kathryn Kuhlman traveled extensively around the United States and in many other countries holding “healing crusades” between the 1940s and 1970s. She was one of the most well-known healing ministers in the world. Kathryn had a weekly TV program in the 1960s and 1970s called ‘I Believe In Miracles’ that was aired nationally. She also had a 30-minute nationwide radio ministry of teaching from the Bible and frequently would feature excerpts from her healing services (both music and message). Her foundation was established in 1954, and its Canadian branch in 1970. Late in her life she was supportive of the nascent Jesus movement, and received endorsements by its key leaders, including David Wilkerson and Chuck Smith.
By 1970, she moved to Los Angeles, conducting healing services for thousands of people, and was often compared to Aimee Semple McPherson. She became well known for her “gift of healing” despite, as she often noted, having no theological training. She made guest appearances at his Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and on the network’s flagship program, The 700 Club.
In 1975, Kathryn was sued by Paul Bartholomew, her personal administrator, who claimed that she kept $1 million in jewelry and $1 million in fine art hidden away and sued her for $430,500 for breach of contract. Two former associates accused her in the lawsuit of diverting funds and of illegally removing records, which she denied and said the records were not private. According to Kathryn, the lawsuit was settled prior to trial.

LEGACY

Many believers uphold Kathryn as an important forerunner to the present-day charismatic movement. She influenced faith healers Benny Hinn and Billy Burke. Hinn has adopted some of her techniques and wrote a book about Kuhlman, though he never met or spoke to her. However, Billy Burke met her and was counseled by her since he was miraculously healed in her service as a young boy.

DEATH

In July 1975, her doctor diagnosed her with a minor heart flare-up; in November she had a relapse. As a result, Kathryn had open-heart surgery in Tulsa, Oklahoma from which she died on February 20, 1976. Kathryn Kuhlman was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California and a plaque in her honour is in the main city park in Concordia, Missouri, a town in central Missouri on Interstate Highway.

BOOKS BY KATHRYN KUHLMAN
● I Believe In Miracles
● Healing Words
● Daughter Of Destiny
● God Can Do It Again
● The Greatest Power In The World
● A Glimpse Into Glory
● Gifts Of The Holy Spirit
● Heart To Heart With Kathryn Kuhlman
● Never Too Late
● In Search Of Blessings
● Miracle Series
● Victory In Jesus And The Lord’s Touch.

The Miracle Lady