Charles Simpson. Walking the Footsteps of David Wilkerson. Shippensburg PA: Destiny Image, 2018. E-book.

When I saw this book on a e-book bargain list, I had to go for it. Like many Christians, I have admired David Wilkerson for a long time for his Teen Challenge ministry. It is still one of the most successful drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs there are. Wilkerson himself has written a number of profound books and has spoken with wisdom about a number of social issues.

I have also appreciated the teaching ministry of Charles Simpson for many years. At this point he is an elder statesman in the church but still produces a periodical newsletter. Except that the author is NOT that Charles Simpson!

Charles Simpson, the author of Walking in the Footsteps of David Wilkerson, is much younger. He writes about attending Bible college in the eighties. However, he did serve on the staff of Times Square Church, the church Wilkerson founded in the eighties, and this book shares some of his experiences during that time.

The book is worth reading. Much of it is personal testimony: how Simpson became a Christian, how he ended up starting a church in the Bronx, and his interactions with and observations of Rev. Wilkerson.

Simpson tells in some detail about his experience at Jimmy Swaggart Bible College. He writes that “in my opinion it was the most amazing place on the planet in 1987.” (745)

I understand that. The pastor of the church I attended, kind of father figure for me at the time, left the church in 1987 to take a teaching position at JSBC. Two young men from the church would also go there and go into the mission field.

Remarkably, Simpson only had one semester left to graduate but felt that the Lord was telling him to move on. He noted many other students at the school had a similar leading. They knew nothing about the scandalous behavior of Rev. Swaggart that would soon be made public, but the Holy Spirit was prompting them to leave before the school’s reputation would be altered.

During this time, David Wilkerson had given a personal message to Jimmy Swaggart. While Wilkerson was unaware of things going on in Louisiana, he believed God was telling him to warn Swaggart to repent or discipline would come. Swaggart would later say that he acknowledged the message but believed what he was doing was too important to make any changes.

While much of Walking in the Footsteps of David Wilkerson is testimony, there is also some good teaching in it. When Simpson was working at Times Square Church, the three leaders of the church each had a different motivational gift (see Romans 12:3-8). David Wilkerson was the prophet, as he had demonstrated in his word to Swaggart. Bob Phillips was a teacher who gave detailed expositions of the Word. Don Wilkerson was the exhorter or encourager who motivated people to action.

Pastor Dave’s sermons were like scalpels that cut us open to the core. Pastor Bob then came along and inspected and cleaned our the wound, and then Pastor Don stitched us up and left us in stitches, literally, with his humor and encouragement. (1069)

Some of Simpson’s most moving stories were about his starting a “daughter” church to Times Square Church in a very rough section of the Bronx. For some time, as he got to know the people and they got to know him, things were tentative. He was single at the time and offered to share his apartment with a young man named Samuel who was joining him in the church work. It seemed after Samuel moved in that things became more natural, and people in the neighborhood start treating him as a neighbor. He asked one man why.

“…As soon as Samuel moves in with me, I’m suddenly everyone’s friend. What’s up with that?”
“Well, it’s like this, white boy. Now we know you aren’t prejudiced.”
“And how do you know that?” I asked.
“You got a black man living with you.” (1255)

Another time he encountered a man who had been shot in the head and clearly was dying. the police let Simpson speak to him to share last rites. He said:

“Brother, my name is Pastor Charles, and you’re about to die. A thief on a cross next to Jesus prayed while he was dying and made it into heaven. That same Jesus brought me here now to lead you in prayer to accept Him as young own personal savior. Please repeat after me, ‘Dear God in Heaven…’”

The young man moved his lips and began to say the word “Dear,” but he only got the “D” sound out, “Dah,” as his head moved slightly as he breather his last breath and died. (1275)

He writes that after that intense experience, he was in shock for a few days. Who wouldn’t be?

There is some good teaching from Wilkerson as well. He warns Simpson about trying to do too much. He shared how he caught mononucleosis after starting Times Square Church. I once heard that about a third of all pastors burn out. Wilkerson said “You have to distinguish between your calling and the needs of the people around you.” You cannot do everything.

Wilkerson once said:

The king in America—[you say] there isn’t one. Yes, there is, his name is King Sport and his wife is Queen Entertainment. The devil’s substitute for joy is entertainment. Where there is no joy, you have to fill it up with entertainment. The more joy you have in God, the less entertainment you need outside yourself. (1392)

While Wilkerson was happy to share his knowledge and experience with others, he also warned, “Don’t ever be a carbon copy of me. Instead, be a carbon copy of Jesus.” (2055)

There is much more here. We are reminded that not only did Wilkerson give birth to Teen Challenge, but Times Square Church was instrumental in changing that section of New York City. I recall passing through Times Square in the early seventies. There were prostitutes and “adult” theaters and book stores. Now it is a thriving commercial hub visited by all kinds of people of all ages.

Yes, there are other things that contributed like policing “quality of life” crimes, but the presence and prayer of the people of Times Square Church certainly made a big difference. We are reminded not to be skeptical of what God can do.