David Wilkerson, with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, published the best-selling The Cross and the Switchblade in 1963. In the first 10 years, it sold over 11 million copies. In 2006, it was ranked 32nd on the Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals by Christianity Today. People around the world are serving God today after reading The Cross and the Switchblade.
Svetlana Ivanovic and her husband, Sasha, were deeply involved in the dark world of drug addiction in Serbia when Svetlana discovered a book that began their journey to new lives, The Cross and the Switchblade. “The book became something like a handbook for me,” she explained. “I was encouraged by the realization that there were others who had gone through the same thing I was going through.” Sasha and Svetlana now are directors of Raskrce Teen Challenge in Serbia.
Ron Reiser, a former Teen Challenge director and now pastor shares his The Cross and the Switchblade story.
When I was 15 years old, my parents went to a rally in Minneapolis, MN. The next day, they told me about the rally, and about what God was doing in New York to help people get out of gangs, and off drugs. They said they had bought me the book about it, written by the rally speaker.
In the opening chapter, David Wilkerson tells how he saw an article in Life magazine about seven young men on trial for killing a crippled kid. I remembered seeing that article in Life magazine so I read on to see what happened to those gang members.
As I read through the book and reached the end of chapter 23, sitting in our family living room, I found myself crying, which was strange because the book ends in a happy way.
I immediately read the book again, and at the end of the second reading, I experienced the same results. I read the book again … with the same results. I remember going to my bedroom and just crying, and couldn’t figure out why. Over the next few days, I realized that God was using this book to call me into the ministry.
After completing Bible college, I served as a youth pastor for a few years. Then my wife and I began the ministry of Teen Challenge in the state of Minnesota, and a few years later moved to Mississippi to become that state’s director for Teen Challenge.
I have read and re-read the book The Cross and the Switchblade over 35 times. I believe that God used this book to call me into the full time ministry. Romans 10:14 is my personal ministry verse. Thank You, David, for your example and act of obedience!
