Nicky Cruz was born on December 6,1938 and is a Puerto Rican Christian evangelist, the founder of Nicky Cruz Outreach, an evangelistic Christian ministry.
16 Facts About Nicky Cruz
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Nicky Cruz was once the director of Teen Challenge, serving under David Wilkerson before founding another ministry home himself in California.
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Nicky Cruz's parents practiced brujeria and were followers of spiritism.
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The neighborhood in which he lived was one of the worst in Puerto Rico and Nicky Cruz was always getting into trouble.
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Nicky Cruz became a member of the Mau Maus street gang, and about six months later Cruz was selected Warlord of the gang.
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Shortly after Nicky Cruz became the gang leader, David Wilkerson was preaching in the neighborhood when Nicky Cruz encountered him.
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Nicky Cruz responded by slapping Wilkerson and threatening to kill him.
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Wilkerson attempted again later to convert Nicky Cruz, and received the same response.
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When Nicky Cruz heard about it, he headed with some of the members of his gang for the boxing arena where the meeting was being held, on a bus sent specially by Wilkerson.
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Nicky Cruz volunteered and led a group of the gang through the crowd, insisting on people giving money.
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Nicky Cruz began to study the Bible and went to Bible college.
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Nicky Cruz became a preacher and returned to his old neighborhood, where he preached and converted more of the Mau Maus to Christianity, including the gang's new leader, Israel Narvaez.
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Nicky Cruz has written two autobiographies, Run Baby Run, with Jamie Buckingham, and Soul Obsession, with Frank Martin.
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Nicky Cruz has written several books with a Christian theme, including The Corruptors, The Magnificent Three, and Destined to Win.
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Nicky Cruz's conversion was depicted in the 1970 film The Cross and the Switchblade starring Erik Estrada as Nicky Cruz and Pat Boone as David Wilkerson.
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In 2013, Nicky Cruz authored The Devil Has No Mother which shares Nicky Cruz's understanding of the devil's hunger to gain power, but contrasts this with God's ability to nevertheless win the day.