Every Christian over the age of 30 who grew up in the church remembers the Cross and the Switchblade and the associated Run Baby Run. This book is a biography of David Wilkerson the man who started the drama all those years ago.

The story is related by David Wilkerson's son Gary. It is an honest account that has been well researched and written. He talks candidly about the long periods of absence of his father from the family home during his crusades for Teen Challenge. He speaks of the constant conflict that his father had between his strict "holiness" upbringing and the things he was learning about grace. In many ways his father was unprepared for the fame and resultant expansion of his ministry that the events of The Cross and the Switchblade brought about. Once the ministry existed, however, he seemed to suffer adversely if it looked like things were coming to an end.

The impression on the reader is of a deeply troubled man but with a sincere desire to obey God. A man who didn't have enough people around him that he could take counsel from. He always seemed to be the one giving the counsel. This resulted in his emotions being able to wreak havoc and lead him astray particularly in relation to the latter years of his life when he started making widely publicised prophecies about the destruction of the USA by fire and his own early demise. Neither of these prophecies came to pass but people seemed reluctant to denounce him as a false prophet because of his legacy and the mass conversions during the Teen Challenge crusades.

Having read this account, I've no doubt that David Wilkerson was a sincere man who thought he was obeying God in everything he did. He had a devotional life which would put many to shame and he didn't deliberately seek the fame and fortune that happened upon him. He needed better counsel at times and his family definitely suffered due to his unwavering commitment to the ministry. His son tells these details and the pain can be felt through the words in places.

I don't agree with most of the theology espoused in this book due to believing the gifts of the Spirit have ceased. However, it is a fascinating account of a man that many will have heard of and it's worth reading to learn a little of the background to some aspects of the charismatic movement in America as this is touched on.

Recommended for readers with discernment! ( )

There are certain people in the world who have a profound effect on your life, whether you knew them personally or not, and for me one of those people was David Wilkerson. For those of us whose personal struggle with drug addiction ultimately led them to Jesus Christ, we can thank David Wilkerson for paving the way, by listening to the Holy Spirit and stepping out in faith, way back in the late 1950’s, where he opened the hearts of evangelists and pastors to reach out to us. My mother gave me a copy of The Cross and The Switchblade when she was praying and searching for a way to get me out of the drug world.

In this biography, his son Gary Wilkerson presents a well rounded look into the man, who I would list in the company of Mother (Saint) Theresa, and Billy Graham. David wasn’t perfect; he didn’t come from a perfect family life; even though generations of his family members have been Christians. He was a person who had doubts, and struggled like we all do with relationships. But he prayed and sought God, and listened for guidance everyday and then he acted on what he was shown. Out of his obedience we have Teen Challenge turning young lives around and giving hope to families. We also have worldwide ministries that reach the poor and overlooked and there are new pastors and evangelists being sent out to give witness to the power of Jesus Christ to break addictions. I would highly recommend this book to people of faith who need encouragement in their walk, I know it changed my feelings about the hopeless mess our world is in and encouraged me to keep praying and reaching out. This book is a five star keeper. ( )

God always makes a way for a praying man. You may never be able to get a college degree, you may never get rich, but God always has and always will make a way for a praying man – David Wilkerson, Kindle Location 903.

If there is one secret to the success and impact of David Wilkerson’s life, prayer is probably it, at least according to his son Gary. In David Wilkerson: The Cross, the Switchblade and the Man Who Believed, Gary Wilkerson lays it all out for us: his dad’s early years as the oldest son in the home of a strict Pentecostal preacher, his first pastorate where he supplemented his salary by selling cars, his change of focus from what people thought to what God thought, his move to New York to work amongst gang members and addicts, founding what is now known as Teen Challenge, the writing of The Cross and the Switchblade, his move to California in the 60s, then to Texas, and eventually back to New York. The story takes us to Wilkerson Sr.’s death in 2011.

In a way the book is like a modern book of Acts, replete with stories of how Wilkerson Sr. used his gifts of prophecy and healing, introduced thousands to Jesus in crusades, then taught, scolded and encouraged them through his newsletter. And like the stories in Acts, there are also tales of ministry bumps, broken relationships, physical illnesses, the need to adjust to the challenges of a changing society and a changing church culture.

I appreciated the writer’s frank but always respectful tone. He loved and idolized his dad, but still makes us privy to his shortcomings. The text and the acknowledgements tell us that he went to great lengths to get all sides of the story. There are numerous quotes from ministry colleagues, students, family members, friends, and neighbors, giving us a well-rounded look at the man.

David Wilkerson’s story is exciting and inspiring, but I also found it challenging because of the high standard that he held for himself and those that worked with and for him. Some of the bits from the book I highlighted:

Always he saw the world and those around him through the lens of eternity – KL 28l.

Quoting John Sherrill about the success of The Cross and the Switchblade:

“I don’t think books take off and do well or don’t do well depending just on the quality of the writing. I think it depends on catching something that’s in the air, something that people need” – KL 1959.

Speaking of how his dad chose singer Dallas Holm and other ministry partners:

Throughout his life, Dad would speak of a certain ‘sound’ he heard in preachers, something that spoke to him of God’s holiness – KL 2065.

Ralph Wilkerson (1960s youth leader who worked with David Wilkerson)says:

“He was like some of the old revivalists. There was so much prayer behind his sermons that there was a powerful anointing on the reading and people were converted” – KL 2177.

(David Wilkerson’s preaching style was to write out his sermons in longhand, then read rather than orate them.)

And two more random quotes:

Every event was a sacred moment ordained by God, with nothing less than eternity at stake for everyone present. For that reason alone, he could never judge a sermon based on people’s reaction to it. He had to judge himself on how faithful he was to speak the message God had impressed on him – KL 2968.

When Dad spent time in the Scriptures, he wasn’t looking to gain breadth of knowledge; he was searching to know the ways of God – KL 3817.

If you want to be challenged and convicted to pray more, care more about what God thinks of you than what people do, love your fellow-man more, read this book. One thing is sure: you won’t read it with an open heart and come away unchanged.

David Wilkerson: The Cross, the Switchblade and the Man Who Believed releases from Zondervan on September 2nd. I received it as a gift from the publisher for the purpose of writing a review.

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Penned by his son Gary Wilkerson and co-author Scott Sawyer, the life of his dad, David Wilkerson, in David Wilkerson - The Cross, the Switchblade, and the Man Who Believed tells his remarkable story. David himself would never have wanted this book, but after his death in 2011, Gary gathered every possible source, talked to numerous friends and co-workers to assemble this biography.
His youth in a strict pentecostal family as son of a preacher shaped his personality and gave him examples. He started preaching from the local pulpit as teenager and moved to New York from rural Pennsylvania in 1958 to confront the drugs gangs that ruled the streets. It was the scene that gave birth to his most famous book The Cross and the Switchblade, an effective revival, and Teen Challenge. After that he relocated to several other parts of the US, started churches, and preached wherever he could to win souls for God. His prophetic burden, humbleness and obedience helped thousands and thousands to know Christ and repent from their sinful past.
Wilkerson later founded the Times Square Church, currently a non-denominational mega-church of 8,000 members. Gary not only praises his father, but also has many examples of his spiritual struggles, the confusion his choices caused by co-workers, and the impact his life had on his wife and children. The book illustrates the changing personality and evangelical or pentecostal churches throughout the States. Having found rest, rediscovering lasting truths in Puritans' writings, David lived longer than he himself expected, seeking God's will until the end. If you only read The Cross & The Switchblade or saw the movie version (starring Pat Boone playing David Wilkerson), or have only heard of Teen Challenge, it's good to understand the background and let your spiritual life get a refresher. ( )