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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | How to Discern a Servant of God | Acts 5:15 | mark d seyler | 178600 | ||
There have been several posts regarding Kathryn Kuhlman that I would like to respond to. If we are to discuss another person, and especially someone not present with us, I just think there are certain ways to go about it. For one thing, I would find any number of quotes both for and against Kathryn Kuhlman, claiming false healings, claiming true healings, claiming all sorts of things. But that is true of most public figures - they have their detractors and supporters. Can this for the basis for our conclusions on people? What seems to me to be the Biblical way to discern regarding a person is to compare what they do and what they teach with Scripture. Would you agree? Now, I know right off the bat, that if someone believes it is impossible that a person could be used to heal large numbers of people in the modern day, then they would quickly conclude that Kathryn Kuhlman's ministry was not Biblical. For the person who believes that this is possible, then it remains to determine if her ministry was Biblical or not. As I scour the web looking at her teaching, not as reported by others, but direct quotes only, I do not find teaching that is unscriptural. Now, this is not to say that its not there, just that I haven't seen it. But this is a strong area to look at to me. If she teaches what is unscriptural, then that's a big red flag. I would be interested if anyone is aware of any unscriptural teaching she gave. Now, she has been compared to Benny Hinn, and its easy to find where Benny Hinn claims to have gotten his start from seeing Kathryn kuhlman. But its equally easy to find, and I have heard it from his lips, teaching that is in clear contradiction to Scripture. So in this way I do not see that she compares to Benny Hinn. The other part of the equation is what she does. In this way, at least so far as appearance goes, Benny Hinn seems to copy her. Kathryn Kuhlman's claim was that people would be healed at her meetings from the sovereign touch of God. Again, some believe that doesn't happen today. Others, who accept modern day healings, think that it wouldn't happen that way. Steve, and many others as well, have pointed out that Kathryn did not make a ministry of visiting hospitals to clear out the wards. But did the apostles? Now, when I read the Acts of the Apostles, I do not find them visiting hospitals, or walking through disaster zones. I find them walking down the street, or going into crowded areas, and healing people. People would line the sidewalks so Peter's shadow would fall on them. Others would pass around Paul's sweatband to be healed. Imagine if someone was doing that today! Most people would probibly say what a crock it was, yet that is what happened in NT times. Do we ever read of Jesus or the apostles visiting a leper colony? Not to my recollection. What we do read is that people came to them, or they healed people wherever they happened to be. Now, let me be clear - I am not saying that I believe or disbelieve in what Kathryn Kuhlman was doing. I wish to examine her ministry in light of Scripture, as well as understand how we are to go about doing that. There is one thing about her ministry I have a huge problem with, and that is this "slaying in the spirit" business. I find no mention of that in Scripture period. Its seems to have been a regular component of her process, yet there is no teaching, demonstration, or example of it in Scripture. It also seems that she lived a lavish lifestyle, which is between her and God, as having nice things is not declared sinful, but it does seem contrary to having the servant's heart. This brings up the issue of judging another man's servant. I have had a difficult time verifying if the churches, clinics, and so forth that the Kathryn Kuhlman Foundation claims were built (dozens, according to them) were actually built. This would be meaningful to me to know. Benny Hinn, again, claimed to have done all these great works, churches, schools, orphanages, which proved fraudulent. So at this point, I do not have a solid opinion on Kathryn Kuhlman. I do have some questions about her ministry. But I am more interested in your understanding of how we are to Biblically judge someone. Am I on the right track here? Do you agree or disagree? Love in Christ, Mark |
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2 | How to Discern a Servant of God | Acts 5:15 | BradK | 178609 | ||
Hi Mark, Your comments are well taken and they do bring up a reasonable and sound basis for how we critique a ministry. Certainly, it must be biblical. This would go back to the foundations of her (or any other ministry). Personally, from what I've read and studied of her, she seemed bizarre- even mystical. As you know, I place many if not most of the modern claims of healing under the lable of "skeptical". Allow me to share some hopefully relevant comments. This past summer I challenged myself to read "Christ The Healer" by F.F. Bosworth. This book- written in 1924- was a (the) catalyst of many modern WOF and Healing ministries, like Kuhlman, and later Copeland and Hinn, etc. [It was soundly rebutted the same year by A.C. Gabelein in his work, "The Healing Question".] I read it to gain perspective and to better understand a doctrine that is so prevalent and that we deal with all too frequently on the Forum. It was a challenge because of my bias and my presuppositions. Nevertheless, I plodded through some 200-plus pages and did complete it. Here's my assesment of F.F. Bosworth: 1. He was sincere in what he believed. He did not delve into the other tangents like "name-it-and-claim-it", etc., but simply held that "it is God's will to heal the body as it is to heal the soul."; 2. He almost completely ignored any context; 3. He "proof-texted" his entire argument; 4. He ignored Church History and 2000 some years of scholarship. He also demonstrated little more than a cursory comprehension of NT Greek; 5. He blatantly said in many places something a verse said, that it plainly did not- scripture twisting. Now, what does this have to do with Katherine Kuhlman? Well, it's my studied conclusion that most of her persuasion fall into this same category. Not ALL, but most. Their basis is faulty. They start out with the wrong supposition, therefore their conclusions are faulty. They twist and misuse scripture as a basis for their ministry. This is where I place her ministry and work. Zealous, but without a solid foundation! Speaking the Truth in Love, BradK |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Acts 5:15 | Author | ||
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mark d seyler | ||
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BradK |