David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson Born (1931-05-19)May 19, 1931 Hammond, Indiana Died April 27, 2011(2011-04-27) (aged 79) Cuney, Texas Nationality American Years active c. 1950 – 2011 Religion Christianity Denomination Non-denominational Spouse(s) Gwen Wilkerson (died July 5, 2012) Church(es) Times Square Church Offices held Evangelist Pastor Website www.davidwilkerson.org David Ray 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 against apostasy and serious about making the commitment to obey Jesus' teachings. 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. Wilkerson was killed in a car crash in Texas on April 27, 2011.