I have received a letter from one of the most
influential, one of the finest religious magazines
in circulation today. It's a large denominational
magazine. And one of their reporters has listed
42 questions. and has asked me to answer these
questions for the magazine. I find these questions
most interesting. And remember, 42 of them. Oh,
I tell you, I just love it. And I thought, well,
I think I'll do something. If the magazine were
that interested in getting me answers to these
questions, And it's always amazing to me the
questions that people ask. I guess that's one
reason why I so enjoy these talk shows. I just
love them because I feel perfectly free to answer
any question. And it's always interesting to
me as to what the public would like to know.
You know, questions that I would never... Think
of asking about myself. And it gives me an opportunity
to answer these questions when I'm invited to
be a guest on these talk shows. And whether they
open the lines to those who call in their questions
by phone or whether it's a public audience, I
love it. I just thrill to it, believe me. And
so... When these 42 questions were submitted
to me by this gentleman representing this very
excellent denominational church magazine, I'm
glad to answer them. And I thought if they would
be interesting to those subscribing to a magazine,
they would be interesting to you too. And so
I'm going to just answer some of these questions.
Now, this is the very first question I was asked.
And remember that I'll read the question just
as they were asked me. I'm reading them from
the paper that was submitted to me. Number one,
you must find your work very rewarding. You are
the best known woman preacher in the world today.
Now, this thing about the best known woman preacher
in the world today, they have said that. I have
not said that. And before I go on with the question,
I want you to know that I always disassociate
myself from anything that's written about me
or that's said about me. I do not consider myself
the best -known woman preacher in the world today.
In fact, let's go back to the word preacher.
I never think of myself in the terms of a preacher.
That's the reason I have never used the word
reverend. There is not one person in the world
who can bring evidence where Catherine Kuhlman
has ever used the word reverend. I really do
not consider myself a woman preacher. Believe
me, I'm just somebody who loves souls. I love
people. I want to help. And it's just that simple.
And if you become known for being somebody who's
trying to help people, then that's me. All right,
I go on, and this is the question. You increasingly
represent the lost hope of the seriously ill.
Is this not an awesome as well as thrilling responsibility?
First of all, I want you to know... that helping
people is the most rewarding thing in the whole
world. You do not have to be a Catherine Kuhlman
to help people. I don't care who you are. Every
Christian, every born -again man and woman should
have as his goal help. I believe that you and
I were born to serve. It's not just my responsibility
to help people. If you are a real Christian,
remember that's what Jesus did. Jesus lived to
serve. And if you are a born -again man or woman,
you too will... Feel your responsibility in serving
and helping people. It's the most rewarding thing
in the world. I want you to know that. You'll
never realize what it meant to me last Christmas
when among the cards, the gifts that I received,
a little card with a great big Santa Claus on
it. came from a 12 -year -old girl. And the doctors
had said that perhaps she would not be living
by Christmas. They had suggested that a leg be
amputated because of cancer. She sent me this
card. And in the card, she had written these
words. I am living to see this Christmas. I still
have two good legs because God answered prayer
and you helped. I cannot begin to tell you the
tears that I shed over that Christmas card and
it was the greatest gift. that I received. You
may have had an angel at the top of your Christmas
tree, or some beautiful ornament. I felt that
I had the most beautiful gift at the top of my
Christmas tree, for I put the little girl's card
at the very top of the tree. rewarding. It's
something you'd give your very life for. Now
you talk about my responsibility? When I walk
out on the stage and I realize that sitting there
in that great audience, there are men and women
who have made a great sacrifice to have attended
that service. When I realize that for many a
person sitting out there, it is their last hope.
Remember something. The question probably is
asked in terms of physical healing. But the spiritual
healing is far greater than the physical. It
may be somebody's last hope. last call for the
spiritual healing. The physical healing is so
very secondary, believe me. You can well afford
to live and die with a sick body, not having
been healed physically. But when those last moments
come, and the Holy Spirit is speaking at the
close of the service, And we turn and give an
altar call and remember the spiritual healing
is far greater than the greatest physical healing
that you ever saw in your life. It's wonderful
to see a body healed from cancer. It's glorious
to see men and women get up from out of a wheelchair
and that wheelchair is pushed down the aisle
empty. But there's something that's far greater,
that spiritual healing. that new birth experience.
And when I stand there in those last moments
of a great service and give the altar call, and
I realize that there may be those who are receiving
the last call from God spiritually, and the destiny
of their soul is at stake, that, my friend, is
the most awesome feeling. great responsibility
is really felt. And when the lights have been
turned out of the great auditorium, you wonder
whether you gave every ounce of strength that
you had, whether you could have done a better
job for the Lord than what you did. sure there's
a responsibility when it comes to those who came
for a physical healing. And I'm just human enough
to tell you that the responsibility is so great
that sometimes I wish that I had never been called
to this part of the ministry. You may not understand,
what I'm trying to say. Sometimes that responsibility
is almost overwhelming. It isn't the hard work.
I can stand on a platform. I can stand there
on that stage three and a half, four, four and
a half hours. Sometimes it has been five hours.
It isn't the hard work. It's that responsibility.
It's that complete yieldedness to the Holy Spirit.
And that's a secret. I know better than anyone
else that Catherine Kuhlman has no healing virtue.
I'm not a faith healer. Please understand that.
I resent very much being called a faith healer.
You'll never know how much I really resent being
tagged a faith healer. When I see it in print,
I resent it very much because I'm not a healer.
I have no healing virtue. I have no healing power.
I have never healed anyone. knew that, believed
me, and absolutely depended on the power of the
Holy Spirit, on the power of God. I have stood
before sick people. If only I could give to them
the strength for my own body. And I always remember
something that my papa, who worked so very hard,
said to me when I was a little girl. And I remember
him as he extended his hands. Both hands were
opened. And he said, you know, baby, you can
have anything in the world that you want if you
work hard enough with these hands. That made
a very great impression on me because my papa
was a hard worker. I've learned to work and work
very hard. But Papa didn't quite understand the
work of the Holy Spirit. And I've stood before
people, and I thought, oh, if only it was hard
work that was needed, I'd work the flesh off
my bones, believe me. When that daddy stands
there with a little baby and that child, has
cancer. Or perhaps there's a deformity. And I
see those great big tears rolling down the cheeks
of that big strong man. And as he holds that
child in his arms, I know that he'd gladly give
his life, literally, if that child could live.
He'd exchange his own life if he... could only
see that child of his healed. And standing there,
a great spiritual love in my own heart. And I
tell you the truth, I would gladly give my life
or pay any price possible if I in that moment
could see that child healed. And it's in a moment
like that. that I know better than anyone else
how dependent I really am on the power of God.
And it's just like that. You ask me, is this
not an awesome as well as thrilling responsibility?
No, not thrilling, but awesome. And sometimes
so awesome, I wish I had never been called. The
second question. you don't bother to answer critics
and skeptics. But would you grant that there
are some Christians who have some honest, conscientious
doubts about you and your ministry? And if so,
do they deserve to know more about what you believe
and how you operate than you normally state publicly?
I tell you the truth. I answer every question
that's asked of me. I do not believe there's
anyone in the religious field today who is more
honest in answering questions than I am. And
it's just like that. That is the reason I'm talking
to you now. That is the reason I'm answering
these questions now. I'm being perfectly honest.
Honest with you. I bare my soul to you. I answer
them the best that I know how. And when it comes
to answering critics and skeptics, remember when
the skeptics came to Jesus. answered them and
said to them, in substance, if you do not believe
that I am all that I say that I am, then believe
me for the very work's sake. And that is his
only answer. I believe that. If the Lord himself
would return in person and do the same works
today that he did when he walked this earth in
person, he'd have more skeptics than he had when
he was here the first time in the flesh. You
see, flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And spiritual
things are only spiritually revealed. You cannot
force a human being to believe something they
do not want to believe. If you do not want to
believe in the absolute power of Almighty God,
If you do not want to believe that God has the
power to heal, if you refuse to believe that
divine healing is for us today, then if one were
to be raised from the dead before your very eyes,
you would still not believe and you'd find some
excuse for not believing. You still would say
probably it was psychosomatic. Or the person
had been hypnotized. Or you'd be dead sure there
was a catch in it someplace. And so, when it
comes to the skeptics and it comes to the critics,
I leave them with... And when it comes to answering
questions, I answer the questions of the believer
and the unbeliever the best that I know how.
All right, here comes the third question. Do
you feel it? there to come under journalistic
scrutiny from questioners who may not be entirely
sympathetic with your ministry. You know, sometimes
it's a very difficult thing for me to take because
someone comes in, a reporter comes in to a great
miracle service. He knows nothing about the power
of God. He knows nothing about the power of the
Holy Spirit. Nothing whatsoever about the spiritual
things. He may be a very wise person, a very
intelligent person. But when he comes into a
great religious service, He has no idea, no conception
whatsoever of the spiritual things and the working
of the Holy Ghost. I think it's quite unfair,
really, to himself and to the servant of God.
And I'm just being very honest about it. And
so, I leave them also in the hand of God. But
remember, very recently, a reporter from St.
Petersburg, Florida, who had attended the service
in the Great Auditorium in Tampa, who was most
Honest. After the great service, even coming
back to the dressing room, after the benediction
had been pronounced and the great crowd had left,
was very honest in not only telling me, but the
whole area. I came a skeptic. But I left a believer.