Some Observations from the Life of Kathryn Kuhlman

A few months before my father-in-law Dr John K John died, he was sick in bed with the flu and read the biography of Kathryn Kuhlman. He told me to read it as it contained fascinating insights for God’s work. 
A few weeks ago, we had some time off as a family, and I found time to get through it. Here are some of my notes and lessons from the biographer’s observations. (I thought he portrayed both her positive and fallible human characteristics in good balance). 

• Kuhlman felt primarily called as an evangelist. Although she later became known for her healing ministry (which brought many to Christ), she always felt called primarily to preach the Gospel. 
• She had a unique way of dealing with problems – she would give them to God and act as if they never happened. This was the standard practice that always allowed her to focus on the future of the ministry rather than the past.
• She was known for always saying, “We serve a big God.” If she felt something was from God, she would always believe for the finances. Money always came for her ministry. She evidently never solicited funds or talked much about money, unlike so many of the prosperity preachers of our day. 
• One gets a sense from her life that she was genuinely anointed by God – that God simply chose her, from a small farming town in Missouri, to carry out His amazing work. 

5 lessons from Kuhlman’s life

• Kuhlman had several public disputes which she later regretted. It’s important that we do all we can to keep disputes between believers away from the public eye as it can dishonour the name of Christ. As people of the same Gospel, we owe the other side the same grace and love given to us by Jesus. 
• We may at times shy away from the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Miraculous healings were and are part of the work of Christ, and we should never try and downplay that the Spirit still works in this way. He brought thousands to himself through the openness and faith of Kuhlman’s ministry in this area. She deeply desired the presence of the Holy Spirit and genuinely treated His presence as “the living Christ, come back in invisible form”.
• Perhaps Kuhlman’s biggest flaw was that she failed on several occasions to take heed of the advice of believers placed close to her. She ended up marrying a man who deserted his wife and losing her ministry for several years until she repented. All her closest Christian friends warned her against it. Close, believing friends are often God’s voice of Kingdom rationality towards us. We must, at least, listen to what they have to say. 
• Kuhlman had a unique practice of seeing the beauty of a person. When she needed to forgive them, she would say things like “his love for Jesus itself is enough for me to forgive him”. It’s an interesting technique that could help us move towards a place of releasing offense. 
• Looking at videos of Kuhlman, she comes across as cheesy and almost fake. But those closest to her noted that she was very similar in normal life. She was eccentric, but she was always herself. People seemed to sense this for the entirety of her ministry and many were drawn to her for it. Be yourself in your Christ-given calling. 

 
Jonny is passionate about servant leadership. In his non-spare time, Jonny consults on leadership training with NGOs, companies and UN agencies. In his spare time, he spares time for a lovely wife and two boisterous daughters.