Poge Six

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Thursday, June 12, 1975

Poge Six THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, June 12, 1975

ARMS OUTSTRETCHED in prayer, Kuhlman seems about to ascend along with h er invocation. Here she searches for the Holy Spirit in the lights of Crisler's
ceiling. "Don't say that it is Kathryn Kuhlman who heals you. It is the Holy Spirit," she told those who were cured.
Doobl

"THE TIME will come when
every knee will bend and ev-
ery head will bow . . . This is
the church's finest hour."

By DOC KRALIK
Every seat in Crisler Arena was
filled. A choir of 400 launched into
"How Great Thou Art." The spot-
lights swung to the rear and the
crowd spontaneously stood to welcome
Kathryn Kuhlman as she strode out,
tilting her smiling head like a wind-up
doll and trailing the sashes of her
long white dress. The miracle service
was underway.
The main floor was lined with about
200 wheelchairs, and there were many
other ambulatory ill. For some of
them, a "miracle" was all they could
hope for. Marilyn Hodges, afflicted
with both polio and cerebral palsy,
was attending her third Kuhlman
service. Clutching Kuhlman's book "I
Believe in Miracles," she struggled
fitfully with her words: "I want to
be healed like the woman on TV." A
ark and calmly beautiful girl, in-
congruously afflicted with a progres-
sive and incurable disease, systemic
lupus, said happily, "I've wanted to
come for months and months."
AFTER A FEW "Halleluia time"
numbers by Jimmy McDonald, a the-
atrical and ear splitting tenor, Kuhl-
man paused for the collection, which
was taken up in fried chicken buckets.
Although Kuhlman claimed that "not
one copper cent" went to her, she
does receive all her expenses and a
tax-free $25,000 salary. In fairness,
most of the money goes to churches
and charities selected by her founda-
tion.
Then with "O Holy Spirit, Breeaathe
upon our waiting hearts," Kuhlman
began her hour and a half sermon.
On stage, her long silken dress whip-
ped by two strategically placed elec-
tric fans, her figure seemed airy,
ethereal.
She would run up suddenly on tip-
toes, then back off into a trance-like
Photography
by
STEVE KAGAN

crouch. She would remain silent, then
smacking her hands together like a
couple of two-by-fours, she snapped
angrily into the mike. At times the
spirit seemed to go out of her, and
her age showed despite her dyed red
hair and generous rouge.
TURNING quickly, Kuhlman point-
ed her bony finger up into the audi-
ence saying, "I rebuke that arthitic
condition." A black woman in the
third row jumped up, screaming
hideously. She was dragged, kicking
from the arena. "We're not like that,"
said Kuhlman.
But despite the disturbance, the
healing went on. And on. "Someone
over there has had a healing of arth-
ritis of the spine," Kuhlman exclaim-
ed. "Someone with a ruptured disc
can now walk. Wait! Someone's ear
has opened." As Kuhlman spoke, peo-
ple began standing in the audience,
and ushers urged them to the stage,

which soon began to resemble the
shrine at Lourdes. Around 200 people
claimed to be healed. The big cure
of the day occurred when an enor-
mously obese woman rose from her
stretcher and steamed up the aisle
to the stage. Why she was wearing a
pantsuit and shoes while lying on her
deathbed was never revealed.
Ivan Mingales, a 6-year-old Spanish
American, was carried to the stage
where ushers removed a brace from
his leg. Many in the crowd cried oat
'Praise God!" as the boy limped
across the stage. Kuhlman hugged
him out of joy and the crowd applaud,
ed. Later Ivan, who was confused
by the experience, admitted that he
often walks, even runs without the
brace.
KEVIN LYNCH of Saginaw, an&
year-old, claimed that he had beel
cured of a "bluriness of vision" i
one eye. His ecstatic mother col