46 pages • 1 hour read
David Wilkerson, John Sherrill, Elizabeth SherrillThe Cross and the Switchblade
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1963A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Historical Context: New York City in the 1950s and 1960s
The late 1950s and early 1960s marked a tumultuous period for New York City, characterized by urban decline and a surge in gang activity. Despite the city’s postwar economic boom, certain neighborhoods experienced stark poverty. The decay of once-thriving industrial areas, coupled with the flight of middle-class residents to the suburbs, left certain areas of the city in a state of neglect. Deindustrialization also led to widespread job losses for working-class people, resulting in an economic downturn. At the same time, the city’s infrastructure suffered, as aging buildings, lack of maintenance funds, and a struggling public transportation system contributed to an overall sense of decay. The loss of major sports franchises such as the Dodgers and the Giants, which both left for California in 1957, is another telling signal of the city’s decline during this time. The events of The Cross and the Switchblade take place at this time, and Wilkerson depicts New York City as a dangerous and difficult backdrop for his missionary work.
The decline in economic opportunities and the deterioration of social structures in the late 1950s and early 1960s contributed to the proliferation of criminal activity at this time. The rise of gangs during this era was a manifestation of the social and economic challenges plaguing these marginalized neighborhoods. Abandoned buildings and desolate streets were a fertile space for illicit activities, and territorial disputes emerged among rival gangs. Membership in gangs became a means of survival and identity for disenfranchised youth facing limited opportunities and systemic neglect. Wilkerson acknowledges The Societal Roots of Gang Violence, and he intends for the Teen Challenge Center to address some of them.
Despite the challenges faced by New Yorkers in the 1950s and 1960s, the era also saw widespread community activism and growth. Civil rights movements gained momentum at this time, and artistic expressions, such as the Beat Generation and jazz music, provided powerful outlets for dissent and cultural resistance. Wilkerson’s Teen Challenge Center was just one of many social organizations founded to meet the challenges of life in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s.
Theological Context: Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a Christian movement rooted in the belief in Redemption Through Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The movement emerged out of the early 19th-century charismatic revival movements that swept America during the Third Great Awakening. William J. Seymour’s three-year Azusa Street Revival (1905-1908) in Los Angeles, California, is considered the formal beginning of the movement. David Wilkerson was a Pentecostal preacher, and Pentecostal beliefs and practices are central to The Cross and the Switchblade.
The cornerstone of Pentecostal theology is the idea that the Holy Spirit is not only a presence within the believer (a tenet of Christianity broadly) but can also descend upon them in a distinct and powerful encounter. This event is often referred to as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Many Christian denominations understand this baptism to coincide either with conversion to Christianity or with water baptism. However, according to Pentecostal doctrine, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is distinct from both of these: a transformative experience during which the believer experiences intimacy with God and is endowed with spiritual gifts. The most common of these gifts is speaking in tongues, a phenomenon where individuals speak in languages unknown to them, believed by Pentecostals to be a direct result of the Holy Spirit’s influence. The encounter is viewed as a personal and dynamic relationship with the divine, enabling believers to live a more empowered and purposeful Christian life. The Cross and the Switchblade depicts several such conversions among the youth Wilkerson works with, leading Wilkerson to propose baptism of the Holy Spirit as a cure for addiction.
