David Wilkerson's first five years in New York City, where he ministered to disillusioned youth, encouraging them to turn away from the drugs and gang violence they were involved with.
The Cross and the Switchblade is a 1970 American crime film directed by Don Murray. It stars Pat Boone as David Wilkerson, a Christian evangelist, and Erik Estrada as Nicky Cruz, a teen gang member whose life was transformed by Wilkerson's ministry. The film was based on a non-fiction book of the same name, The Cross and the Switchblade.