The Miracle Lady
Kathryn Kuhlman and the Transformation of Charismatic Christianity
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- $30.99
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- $30.99
Publisher Description
A smart, powerful, charismatic preacher brought back to life
On October 15, 1974, Johnny Carson welcomed his next guest on The Tonight Show with these words: "I imagine there are very few people who are not aware of Kathryn Kuhlman. She probably, along with Billy Graham, is one of the best-known ministers or preachers in the country." But while many people today recognize Billy Graham, not many remember Kathryn Kuhlman (1907–1976), who preached faith and miracles to countless people over the fifty-five years of her ministry and became one of the most important figures in the rise of charismatic Christianity.
In The Miracle Lady Amy Collier Artman tells the story of Kuhlman's life and, in the process, relates the larger story of charismatic Christianity, particularly how it moved from the fringes of American society to the mainstream. Tracing her remarkable career as a media-savvy preacher and fleshing out her unconventional character, Artman also shows how Kuhlman skillfully navigated the oppressive structures, rules, and landmines that surrounded female religious leaders in her conservative circles.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Artman, religious studies instructor at Missouri State University, provides an engrossing portrait of Kathryn Kuhlman (1907 1976), a leading figure in charismatic Christianity and "miracle healing," in her strong debut. Artman argues that Kuhlman has been unfairly overlooked in the religious history of the 20th century due to a variety of factors, including her gender and the form of Christianity she practiced. American charismatic Christianity, according to Artman, is formed at the intersection of Pentecostal, evangelical, and mainstream Protestant Christianity; it tends to be an emotional, performative form of worship that, she notes, provokes a strong response from adherents and critics alike. Artman presents Kuhlman as an important figure in the faith; she got her start as a traveling preacher in 1928, rose to national prominence with her "healing crusades" and her TV show I Believe in Miracles, and became the leader of a Christian media empire in 1975 with her nationally broadcast "miracle service" held in Las Vegas. Kuhlman's career as a healing preacher spanned the country she established herself first in Denver, then in Pittsburgh and she was one of the first Christian evangelists to embrace radio and, later, television. This is an excellent biography that rightly situates Kuhlman alongside evangelists such as Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, and Jim Bakker.
