Politics & Power Quote by David Wilkerson

The sentence reads like a ledger, and that is the point: Wilkerson is turning compassion into a reportable metric. The plain inventory of “orphanages,” “thousands of poor children,” and “drug centers” has the cadence of accountability, as if faith is best defended not by theology but by outputs. In the late-20th-century American evangelical world Wilkerson helped shape, ministries were competing in a crowded marketplace of attention, donors, and suspicion. Listing programs across borders is a way of saying: we are not just preaching; we are producing.

The subtext is also about legitimacy. Wilkerson’s public identity was built on rescuing people most churches preferred to keep at arm’s length: gang members, addicts, the visibly messy. “Drug centers for addicted men” signals gritty, gendered triage, an implicit nod to social breakdown and the moral panic around addiction. Pairing that with “a drug center in Israel” expands the frame: this isn’t a local outreach with a noble heart; it’s a global mission with strategic geography. Israel carries theological weight for many evangelicals, so its inclusion functions as a quiet credential, reassuring supporters that the ministry’s compassion is aligned with their larger spiritual map.

Even the word “supports” matters. It suggests partnership rather than domination, while still positioning the ministry as a hub that distributes care. The intent is less storytelling than persuasion: a compact argument that the ministry deserves trust, funds, and moral authority because its concern travels, counts, and looks practical.