David Wilkerson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids David Wilkerson |
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David Wilkerson, conference in Chile, 2008.
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| Religion | Christian |
| Denomination | Non-Denominational |
| Church | Times Square Church |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | May 19, 1931 Hammond, Indiana |
| Died | April 27, 2011 (aged 79) Cuney, Texas |
| Spouse | Gwen Wilkerson (died July 5, 2012) |
| Senior posting | |
| Period in office | 1950 – 2011 |
| Religious career | |
| Post | Evangelist Pastor |
David Ray Wilkerson (born May 19, 1931 – died April 27, 2011) was an American Christian leader. He was famous for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. He also started the Times Square Church in New York City, which welcomed people from all Christian groups.
Wilkerson's talks, called sermons, were very direct. He encouraged people to follow Jesus' teachings closely and stay true to their faith. He taught about God's goodness, fairness, and great love for everyone, especially through Jesus. He believed that all Christians should work together, no matter which church group they belonged to.
Contents
Early Life and Calling
David Wilkerson was born in Indiana in 1931. He grew up in Barnesboro, Pennsylvania, in a family of Christian preachers. His grandfather and father were both ministers. David said he felt a special spiritual experience at age eight.
He started preaching when he was about fourteen years old. After high school, he went to Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. This school was connected with the Assemblies of God church group. In 1952, he became an ordained minister.
Starting His Ministry
Wilkerson married Gwendolyn Rose "Gwen" Carosso in 1953. He worked as a pastor in small churches in Scottdale, Pennsylvania and Philipsburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania.
In 1958, he saw a photo in Life Magazine of seven teenagers from gangs in New York City. He felt a strong desire to go to New York and help them. When he arrived, he went to a court where these teenagers were on trial. He tried to speak to them, but the judge asked him to leave. A photo of him leaving the court made him known as the "Bible preacher who interrupted the gang trial."
Soon after, he began working with young people who were involved in crime. This work continued into the 1960s. In 1958, he started Teen Challenge. This program helps people overcome bad habits and problems, using Christian teachings. It has many centers that help people and share the Christian message.
The Cross and the Switchblade
Wilkerson became well-known after he wrote the book The Cross and the Switchblade in 1962. He wrote it with John and Elizabeth Sherrill. The book tells the story of his work with young people in gangs.
This book became a huge success, selling over 50 million copies in more than thirty languages. It is considered one of the most important books for evangelical Christians. In the book, Wilkerson shares the story of Nicky Cruz, a gang member who changed his life and later became a preacher himself. Nicky Cruz was the leader of a gang called the "Mau Maus." He and his friend Israel Narvaez became Christians after hearing Wilkerson speak.
In 1970, a movie called The Cross and the Switchblade was made based on the book. Pat Boone played David Wilkerson, and Erik Estrada played Nicky Cruz.
Later Ministries
In 1967, Wilkerson started Youth Crusades. This was a ministry for middle-class teenagers who felt restless or bored. Through this work, the CURE Corps (Collegiate Urban Renewal Effort) was created.
In 1971, Wilkerson moved his ministry's main office to Lindale, Texas. On September 22, he founded World Challenge. This organization works to share the Christian message around the world.
In 1986, Wilkerson felt called to return to New York City. He started the Times Square Church, which opened in October 1987. The church first met in rented halls in Times Square. In 1989, it moved to the historic Mark Hellinger Theatre, where it has been ever since.
Wilkerson did not preach for one specific church group. He focused on teaching from the Bible. He wanted to help people find God through a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ and the experience of the Holy Spirit. He once said:
I am not preaching some denominational doctrine, This church does not belong to any denomination. We are not Assemblies of God, we are not Baptist, we're not Methodist, we're not Catholic. We're just Holy Ghost people believing this book [The Bible].
Throughout his life, Wilkerson met and worked with many other Christian leaders. From the 1990s, he spent a lot of time encouraging pastors and their families worldwide to renew their strong faith in Christ.
David and Gwen Wilkerson lived in New York City when Times Square Church began in 1987. Later, they split their time between New York and Texas. They had four children and eleven grandchildren.
Visions and Prophecies
Wilkerson said he received a special vision in 1973 about the future of the United States. He wrote about this in a book called The Vision. Some of the things he mentioned were: "A worldwide economic slowdown"; "Nature having difficulties"; "A flood of bad things in America"; "Rebellion in families"; and "People who truly love Jesus Christ being treated unfairly."
On March 7, 2009, Wilkerson wrote on his blog about an urgent message. He repeated an earlier prophecy he had made about New York City. He said: "For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires." Wilkerson believed this would be part of a big event affecting the whole Earth. He said it would be God's judgment against "the raging sins of America and the nations." He did not know when these things would happen, but he felt they were "not far off."
Death
On April 27, 2011, David Wilkerson died in a car accident in East Texas. He was in a head-on collision with a large truck. He passed away at the scene, just before his 80th birthday. His wife, Gwendolyn, was seriously hurt in the accident. Gwendolyn Wilkerson died a year later, on July 5, 2012, from cancer. She was 81 years old.
Images for kids
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David Wilkerson speaking at a conference.
See also
In Spanish: David Wilkerson para niños
