The Cross and the Switchblade

David Wilkerson · John Sherrill · Elizabeth Sherrill

Nov 1986 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

The dramatic and inspiring true story of a small town minister called to help inner city kids everyone else believed were beyond hope...

David Wilkerson was just a young preacher in the Pennsylvania hills when he was stunned by a new calling from God: go to New York City to speak to seven young gang members on trial for murder. 

But something much greater was to come. Once in New York, David was inspired to stay for a lifetime of helping troubled teenagers get free of drugs and crime. With the word of God in his ears, he founded an inner-city ministry still known as the Teen Challenge to change their paths and alter thousands of lives forever.

The Cross and the Switchblade is a testament to the enduring power of faith and the potential for change—an unforgettable tale that will leave you inspired, uplifted, and forever changed.

Ratings and reviews

This is an awesome book! It actually saved my life, it and my transformation stay at the Victory Home in San Antonio Texas in 2004. I'm still a homeboy from Indianapolis Indiana and I'm putting the principles of this book to use everyday. Thank you David Wilkerson and rest in heaven my Bishop.🙏🏿🙏🏿🙌🏿✝️ Minister LC Molett THUGS for Christ Ministries 2016

This book came at the right time in my walk, and ministry. I'm involved in a church plant in Bronx NY, we are compassed about with many challenges. This book has breathed new life into my faith. Hearing how God leads, and how He provides when we respond to His callings.

What a great read and an awesome lesson in what the Holy Spirit can do in a persons life. My husband and I were on a mission at one Teen Challenge when he heard about this book. My husband started reading it and before he had finished it, the two of us were ask to stay on as part of the staff. God does work in mysterious ways.

About the author

David Wilkerson (1931–2011) was a renowned Christian evangelist, the founder of the addiction recovery program Teen Challenge, and the senior pastor of the nondenominational Times Square Church in New York. He wrote more than 30 books, including the bestselling The Cross and the Switchblade and Knowing God by Name.