David Wilkerson's The Cross and the Switchblade tells the extraordinary story of a rural preacher called to New York's most dangerous streets. Read why this classic still speaks today.
Estimate Read Time: 2 Minutes
Voted #2 by Premier Radio listeners as part of ‘The 100 Books That Changed the Church’ list curated by Premier Christianity magazine and Eden.
It began with a photograph in a newspaper. David Wilkerson, a young Assemblies of God pastor from rural Pennsylvania, saw a picture of seven teenagers on trial for murder in New York City and felt an irresistible compulsion to go to them. What followed is one of the most remarkable accounts of God at work in the modern era — and one of Premier Christianity's picks for a book that changed the Church.
The Cross and the Switchblade tells the story of Wilkerson's first ventures into the gangs and drug dens of 1950s New York — and his encounters with Nicky Cruz, a notoriously violent gang leader whose transformation became the story within the story. What gave Wilkerson's message power was not eloquence or strategy, but a willingness to go where no one else would and trust God to show up.
The book doesn't flinch from the darkness — the addiction, the violence, the despair — but neither does it leave readers there. It's a book about what the gospel actually does when it lands in places that seem beyond reach.
Want to know more about the full 100 Books list then read our blog article here.
About the Author: David Wilkerson (1931–2011) went on to found Teen Challenge, now an international network of addiction recovery programmes operating in over 100 countries. He later founded Times Square Church in New York City. His other notable works include It Is Finished and Hungry for More of Jesus.
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