David Wilkerson (May 19, 1931 – April 27, 2011) was an American Christian evangelist, best known for his book ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’. He was the founder of the addiction recovery program Teen Challenge, and founding pastor of the non-denominational Times Square Church in New York.
Wilkerson’s widely distributed sermons, such as “A Call to Anguish,” are known for being direct and frank. He emphasized such Christian beliefs as God’s holiness and righteousness, God’s love toward humans and especially Christian views of Jesus. Wilkerson tried to avoid categorizing Christians into distinct groups according to the denomination to which they belong.
David was killed in a car crash in Texas on April 27, 2011.
Wilkerson served as a pastor in small churches in Scottdale and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, until he saw a photograph in Life Magazine in 1958 of seven New York City teenagers charged with murder. He later wrote that as he felt the Holy Spirit move him with compassion, he was drawn to go to New York in February 1958. It was then that he began a street ministry to young drug addicts and gang members, which he continued into the 1960s. Later in 1958, he founded Teen Challenge,an evangelical Christian addiction recovery program affiliated with the Assemblies of God, with a network of Christian social and evangelizing work centers.
Peter – I have read “The Cross & the Switchblade” many many moons ago ( I am ?? – don’t tell ) and I did not realize it at that stage, but it left an imprint on my mind for years – you have all my support and I pray that our G-D will bless you with and in all you need and that this WILL be the biggest hit Broadway has ever seen!
I pray that there will be souls saved and healed when this musical hits the major theater capitals of the world in such way you & I can’t imagine and to G-D be the glory, always!
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be able to contribute towards your “blessing” if only by sharing with everyone I know. Also a huge thanks from my heart for the gift – going to LOOOOVE it and for your trust in me – may our Good LORD bless you abundantly! Success & prosperity in our G-d is my wish for you in all you do!
Since November of last year I have received a number of emails from a gentleman who works in the musical industry in Broadway, and I have been given his permission to reprint his communications and I promised to not reveal his identity.
Every comment he has made of my existing work I have taken on board….and so I wanted to share some of his thoughts with you. Please note that as yet he has not seen the work in its entirety, but as represented on my website www.thecrossandtheswitchblade.net.
Some may say that I would be offended by some of the comments. Sorry. No way. I am looking for a team of people who can work with me to pull apart the current work and put it back into the right order ready for Broadway. I’m more than ready to roll up my sleeves and am confident that we can create a work that will sit well amongst all the successful shows that are currently playing on Broadway.
The First Communication To Whom It May Concern:
While there is certainly a high level of dramatic tension displayed and maintained in your work, I am curious to know if there is anything light and, for lack of a better word, fun. Is there not a comedy number in the entire score? The glaring need for such a tune is what would indeed prevent associates or other production teams from seeing this as marketable. Even the most serious of musical theater pieces have that comedic relief that an audience so desperately craves after an endless string of ballads, especially since the overwhelming majority of successful musicals being produced today on Broadway have a mostly comic foundation. If you can enlighten me or elaborate on any such humor that may be found in your piece then I would be interested in hearing more about it. Also, in terms of content in the show, what is an appropriate minimum age level for the target demographic? Thank you for your time and assistance.
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David Wilkerson (May 19, 1931 – April 27, 2011) was an American Christian evangelist, best known for his book ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’. He was the founder of the addiction recovery program Teen Challenge, and founding pastor of the non-denominational Times Square Church in New York.
