Snake handling, also calledserpent handling, is a religiousrite observed in a small number of isolated churches, mostly in theUnited States, usually characterized asrural and part of theHoliness movement. The practice began in the early 20th century inAppalachia and plays only a small part in the church service. Participants areHoliness, orPentecostals. The beliefs and practices of the movement have been documented in several films and have been the impetus for a number of state laws related to the handling of venomous animals.
TheSayings of the Desert Fathers detail an Egyptian monk named Paul, who was said to be able to hold snakes in his hand and cut them open. The account attributes this ability to a special grace from God.[3]
The practice of snake handling first appeared in American Christianity around 1910[4] and was associated with the ministry ofGeorge Went Hensley of Grasshopper Valley in southeasternTennessee. Hensley's role in initiating the practice has been disputed by academic studies.[5] Kimbrough notes that claims of Hensley being the originator of snake handling are usually found to be unsubstantiated by research, and the origins of the observance are unclear.[5] Hood and Williamson similarly argue that the beginnings of Pentecostal snake-handling rituals cannot be ascribed to a single person,[6] and that the observance arose independently on multiple occasions.[7]
However, historians agree that Hensley's advocacy, leadership, and particularly his personal charisma, were important factors in advancing the Pentecostal snake handling[8] and spreading it throughout the southeast United States.[7] Coverage of Hensley's ministry was influential in prompting various churches to include the practice in their services.[9] The media has focused on popular snake handlers such as Hensley, and the deaths of ministers due to snakebite have received particular attention.[10]
Hensley was a minister of the Church of God, now known as theChurch of God (Cleveland), founded by Richard Spurling and A. J. Tomlinson. In 1922, Hensley resigned from the Church of God,[11] citing "trouble in the home";[12] his resignation marked the zenith of the practice of snake handling in the denomination, with the Church of God disavowing the practice of snake handling during the 1920s.[13][a]
In the 1930s, he traveled the Southeast resuming his ministry and promoting the practice.[14][15] If believers truly had the Holy Spirit within them, Hensley argued, they should be able to handle rattlesnakes and any number of other venomous serpents. They should also be able to drink poison and suffer no harm whatsoever. Snake handling as a test or demonstration of faith became popular wherever Hensley traveled and preached in the small towns of Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas, Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana. Sister-churches later sprang up throughout theAppalachian region.[16] In 1943, Hensley and Ramond Hayes, a young adherent of Hensley's teachings, started a church together in 1945, which they named the "Dolly Pond Church of God with Signs Following".[17] Snake-handling churches influenced by Hensley's ministry are broadly known as theChurch of God with Signs Following. In July 1955,Hensley died following a snakebite received during a service he was conducting inAltha, Florida.
Serpent-handling in northAlabama and northGeorgia originated with James Miller inSand Mountain, Alabama, at about the same time. Miller apparently developed his belief independently of any knowledge of Hensley's ministry. Whereas Hensley's ministry wastrinitarian, the snake-handling churches influenced by Miller's ministry arenon-trinitarian, and are broadly known as the Church of Lord Jesus with Signs Following[citation needed]. This version dominates snake-handling churches north of theAppalachians.[18][19]
Each church body is independent and autonomous, and the denominational name is not consistent in all areas. However they are typically some variation of the name "Church of God" (Trinitarian) or "Church of (Lord) Jesus" (Oneness).
The exact membership is unknown, and has recently been estimated as low as 1,000 and as high as 5,000 with possibly fifty to a hundred congregations. According to theEncyclopedia of American Religions, churches "can be found from central Florida toWest Virginia and as far west asColumbus, Ohio." The snake-handling sect of beliefs and practices go as far as to cross the border into Western Canada in 2004 toLethbridge andEdmonton, Alberta.[citation needed]
Ralph Hood, professor of social psychology and the psychology of religion at theUniversity of Tennessee, who has studied the snake handling movement, indicated in 2003 that the practice is "currently at a fairly low ebb of popularity".[21] A 2013 article byNPR gave a figure of "about 125" churches where snakes are handled, but also indicated that "snake handlers are notoriously private".[22]
Churches that practice snake handling and drinking poison as a demonstration of the strength of their faith duringworship services frequently describe themselves with the phrase "with sign following"; this is based on a literal interpretation of the following biblical passage which they cite for biblical validation:
And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Another passage from theNew Testament used to support snake handlers' beliefs isActs 28:1–6, which relates that Paul was bitten by a venomous viper and suffered no harm:
And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
Only snake-handling churches interpret these passages as a call to handle serpents, while others dispute these interpretations.[24][better source needed]
As in the early days, worshipers are still encouraged tolay hands on the sick,speak in tongues, providetestimony ofmiracles, and occasionally consume poisons such asstrychnine.[25] Worship services usually include singing, praying,speaking in tongues, and preaching. The front of the church, behind the pulpit, is the designated area for handling snakes.Rattlesnakes,cottonmouths, andcopperheads (venomous snakes native to North America) are the most common, but evencobras have been used. During the service, believers may approach the front and pick up the snakes, usually raising them into the air and sometimes allowing the snakes to slither on their bodies. Handling the snakes is not compulsory for those attending services. Some believers will also engage in drinking poison (most commonlystrychnine) at this time.
Although individual incidents may actually be understood in a variety of ways, those who die from snakebites are never criticized for lack of adequate faith; it is believed that it was simply the deceased's time to die.[26] Bitten believers usually do not seek medical help, but look to God for their healing.[citation needed] They fully believe that adherents need to handle the snakes as a demonstration of their having the Holy Spirit within. Darlene Summerford, when asked how it felt to handle venomous serpents, replied, "It's just knowing you got power over them snakes".[25]: 43 And, if they get bitten by the snake, then they lack the true Spirit.[25]: 3 Moreover, if they are bitten, then the congregation prays over them.[25] If they die, then God intended for that to happen.[26][25]
All Appalachian states except West Virginia outlawed the snake-handling ritual when it first emerged. The states of Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee have passed laws against the use of venomous snakes or other reptiles that endangers the lives of others without a permit.
The Kentucky law specifically mentions religious services; in Kentucky snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a $50 to $100 fine.[27]
Snake handling is legal in the state of West Virginia, as the current state constitution does not allow any law to impede upon nor promote a religious practice.[28]
Snake handling was made a felony punishable by death under Georgia law in 1941, following the death of a seven-year-old from a rattlesnake bite. However, the punishment was so severe that juries would refuse to convict, and the law was repealed in 1968.[29]
TheAmerican Civil Liberties Union has defended the religious freedom of snake handlers against various attempts to have the practice banned.[30]
In 1992, Glenn Summerford, a serpent-handling preacher, was convicted of attempted murder of his wife with a rattlesnake, by forcing her to be bitten on two occasions, at their home.[25]: 30, 33 [31][32] During the trial, some members of the congregation sided with Glenn Summerford, and others with his wife, Darlene.[25]: 48–49 Each Summerford accused the other of infidelity, and "backsliding" from their faith by drinking alcohol.[25]: 41, 49 Dennis Covington, a journalist who covered the Summerford trial[33] discusses his first-hand, investigative experiences at a snake-handling church in Appalachia, in his book,Salvation on Sand Mountain.[25]: 20
In July 2008, ten people were arrested and 125 venomous snakes were confiscated as part of an undercoversting operation titled "Twice Shy". Pastor Gregory James Coots of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus' Name (FGTJN) inMiddlesboro, Kentucky, was arrested and 74 snakes seized from his home as part of the sting.[34]
Jamie Coots (son of Gregory Coots) was cited in 2013 for illegal possession and transportation of venomous snakes when three rattlesnakes and two copperheads were discovered in his vehicle during a vehicle check inKnoxville, Tennessee.[35] Later in 2013, Coots published an op-ed inThe Wall Street Journal making an argument for U.S. Constitutional protection regarding religious freedom, especially freedom to practice the unique variety of religion found in snake-handling churches.[36] Coots died on 15 February 2014 from a snakebite.[37]
Andrew Hamblin, who appeared alongside Jamie Coots inSnake Salvation, was cited for having dangerous wildlife in 2014, but agrand jury declined to indict him.[38]
The handling of venomous snakes has significant risks.Ralph Hood observes, "If you go to any serpent-handling church, you'll see people with atrophied hands, and missing fingers. All the serpent-handling families have suffered such things".[21]Jamie Coots, a pastor who subsequently died from a snakebite, said, "Handlers get bitten all the time, and every few years someone dies".[39]
Various figures for the total number of deaths fromsnakebite during religious services have been proposed:
"about 100 deaths" (2013) byJulia Duin, a journalist who has covered snake handling churches and has written a book on the subject.[41][42]
"91 documented snake bite deaths" (2015) by Paul Williamson, professor of psychology atHenderson State University and co-author of books with Ralph Hood.[43]
"105 cases that were found in literature."(2015) by Amy Waters.[44]
Another source indicates that 35 people died between 1936 and 1973.[24]
Hood also notes that the practice does not present a danger to observers. There is no documented case of a non-handling member being bitten by a serpent handled by another believer.[45]
Snake Salvation is a 2013 series produced by theNational Geographic Channel, comprising 16 episodes in areality television format.[46] The show featured two modern snake-handling pastors and their congregations. The show's focus was onJamie Coots, who subsequently died of a snakebite. The other featured pastor was Andrew Hamblin, pastor of the Tabernacle Church of God in LaFollette, Tennessee. Hamblin, a protégé of Coots, was worshiping at his mentor's church alongside Coots when the fatal snake bite occurred in February 2014.[47]
Them That Follow is a Sundance Film Nominee about a small Church and community that practices this religion. The film starsWalton Goggins.
Alabama Snake is a 2020 HBO documentary which focuses on the 1991 attempted murder of Darlene Summerford by her husband, snake handling pastor Glenn Summerford.[48]
In 1995, Kale Saylor (husband of Jean), a Pentecostal preacher, died after being bitten by arattlesnake during a service at Crockett Saylor Pentecostal Church inCrockett, Kentucky.[56]
In 1997, Daril Colins died after being bitten by a snake during a service inBell County, Kentucky.[56]
In 1998, John Wayne "Punkin" Brown (husband of Melinda), a snake-handling evangelist, died after being bitten by atimber rattlesnake during a service at the Rock House Holiness Church in rural northeasternAlabama.[24][88]
In the third episode of the fourth season ofThe Simpsons, "Homer the Heretic", Homer invites bartenderMoe Szyslak to join his religion, to which Moe replies: "Sorry, Homer. I was born a snake handler, and I'll die a snake handler." whilst revealing hands covered in bites, bruises andadhesive bandages.[100]
In the ninth episode of the seventh season ofThe X-Files, "Signs and Wonders", Scully and Mulder investigate the death of a young man who used to be a member of a serpent-handling church.[101]
In the fifth episode of the third season ofThe Righteous Gemstones, Peter Montgomery is shown using this practice in the church where he preaches.[citation needed]
In the novel Motheater, the accompanying main character Motheater or Esther grows up and references her father as the pastor of a snake-handling church.[102]
^Hill, Hood, and Williamson 2005, p. 117: In 1914, the Church of God had around 4,000 members. By 1922, it had grown to 23,000 members. Hill, Hood, and Williamson speculate that the Church of God disavowed snake handling in an attempt to draw more middle-class Christians to their denomination.
^Joseph Campbell & M. J. Abadie (1981). The Mythic Image. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, p. 296.
^Tuomas Rasimus (2007). "The Serpent in Gnostic and Related Texts". In Painchaud, Louis; Poirier, Paul-Hubert (eds.). L'Évangile selon Thomas et les textes de Nag Hammadi: Colloque International. Presses Université Laval, p. 804.
^"Apophthegmata Patrum: The Greek Alphabetical Collection".ldysinger.com. Retrieved18 February 2025.One of the Fathers used to tell of a certain Abba Paul, from Lower Egypt, who lived in the Thebaid. He used to take various kinds of snakes in his hands and cut them through the middle. The brethren made prostration before him saying, 'Tell us what you have done to receive this grace.' He said, 'Forgive me, Fathers, but if someone has obtained purity, everything is in submission to him, as it was to Adam, when he was in Paradise before he transgressed the commandment.'
^Encyclopedia of American Religions gives the year as 1909; theEncyclopedia of Religion in the South gives it as 1913.
Hill, Peter C.; Hood, Ralph W.; Williamson, William Paul (2005).The Psychology of Religious Fundamentalism. New York, New York: Guilford Press.ISBN978-1-59385-150-7.
Hood, Ralph W.; Williamson, William Paul (2008).Them That Believe: The Power and Meaning of the Christian Serpent-handling Tradition. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-25587-6.
Kimbrough, David L. (2002).Taking Up Serpents: Snake Handlers of Eastern Kentucky. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press.ISBN978-0-86554-798-8.
Jim Morrow and Ralph Hood:Handling Serpents: Pastor Jimmy Morrow's Narrative History of his Appalachian Jesus' Name Tradition: Macon: Mercer University Press: 2005.
Hood, Ralph W.; Williamson, William Paul (December 2004). "Differential Maintenance and Growth of Religious Organizations Based upon High-Cost Behaviors: Serpent Handling within the Church of God".Review of Religious Research.46 (2):150–68.doi:10.2307/3512230.JSTOR3512230.
Stephen Kane: "Ritual Possession in a Southern Appalachian Religious Sect"The Journal of American Folklore: 27:348 (October–December 1974): 293–302.
Paul Williamson and Ralph Hood Jr: "Differential Maintenance and Growth of Religious Organisations Based on High-Cost Behaviours: Serpent Handling with the Church of God"Review of Religious Research: 46:2 (December 2004): 150–168.
Paul W. Williamson and Howard R. Pollo: "The Phenomenology of Religious Serpent Handling: A Rationale and Thematic Study of Extemporaneous Sermons"Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion: 38:2 (June 1999): 203–218.
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