Snake handlers are essentially fundamentalist christians who follow a literal interpretation of the bible. See more ideas about old time religion, snake and speaking in tongues. Snake handlers in scottsboro george hensley of tennessee is credited with introducing snakehandling practices to the appalachian pentecostal church church of god, cleveland, tennessee around the turn of the twentieth century. All appalachian states except west virginia outlawed the snakehandling ritual when it first emerged. Salvation on sand mountain, written by journalist dennis covington in a masterly, artistic style, is a cultural expose about religious fundamentalists from southern appalachia who had come down from the mountains to put their religious stamp on a wider societal milieu, including covington himself, who inadvertently becomes a parishioner and takes up serpents. Set in the heart of appalachia, salvation on sand mountain is covingtons unsurpassed and chillingly captivating exploration of the nature, power. While this is a story of kimbroughs experiences with the saylor family of eastern kentucky, kimbrough explains the origins of serpent handling as they emerged in the teachings of george hensley of the grasshopper community near cleveland, tennessee. Religious experts say snake handlers are aware of the risks and accept the consequences. Them that follow, the appalachiaset drama about a snakehandling pentecostal church, features several skincrawling scenes of rattlesnakes slithering across congregants torsos in a bid. Snake handlers, sinners, and the electrifying spirit book dvd sample. Snake handling and redemption in southern appalachia, dennis covington takes a firsthand look at the mysterious and mystical practice of handling poisonous snakes in religious worship. At gunpoint, he forces her to stick her arm in a box of rattlesnakes.
Two years before he killed himself in 1979 at age 26, writer breece dj pancake started drafting a story about a snakehandler. Appalachian snake handlers appalachian people, southern. Worship for west virginias snake handlers was much like so many other parts of life. Heaven come down is a manyfaceted document of ordinary people who go to work, raise families, and every week walk into a church with a box of poisonous snakes under one arm, a jar of strychnine. Sand mountain is a sandstone plateau in northeastern alabama and to a far lesser extent northwestern georgia and southeastern tennessee where the plateau it is known as raccoon mountain and elder mountain. A well written coming of age novel about life as mountain people in deep appalachia. But duins book focuses on a new breed of snakehandling preachers young and adept at using social media to attract attention, including teenage and 20something members and television crews, to their dangerous services. Appalachias distinctive brand of christianity has always been something of a puzzle to mainline american congregations. I enjoyed the book, but being from appalachia myself, it felt like the view on appalachian people was a bit narrow snake handling religious zealots, moonshine runners, creek baptisms, poverty, etc. Most snake handling, therefore, takes place in the homes of worshipers. Duin explores the impact that such twentyfirstcentury. But where does the uniquely appalachian practice of snakehandling come from and why are folks still doing it. Appalachian snake handling a ritual of faith the american chronicleaugust 5, 2006 by d. A glimpse into the snake handling churches of appalachia.
Alabamians who belong to this church, however, claim to follow the teachings of james miller, who began serpent handling in the deep south and. The storyline follows the author as he goes from covering the trial of glenn summerford to experiencing a snake handling church in appalachia. It is also the story of one mans search for his rootsand, in the end, of his spiritual renewal. Their key text is the king james version of mark 16. Snake handling and redemption in southern appalachia 15th anniversary ed. Of appalachian snakehandling, 19101955 jonathan williams, m. A snakehandling preacher by the name of glendel buford summerford has just tried to murder his wife, darlene, by snakebite. Paul williamson is the most comprehensive and scholarly social psychological assessment of the snake handling churches in america appalachia. Vances hillbilly elegy 2016 often cited as a way to understand the workingclass voters who helped elect donald trump, hillbilly elegy has been a longtime bestseller, will soon become an hbo movie, and has made vance a media expert on appalachia.
Shiner by amy jo burns meet your next favorite book. I wandered into the weird part of the internet again this morning, through the doors of a snakehandling church in the appalachian mountains of west virginia, to be specific. Snake handling started in the appalachian region of the country. To toshiba snake handlers in the appalachian region. What begins as a newspaper assignmentcovering the trial of a pastor accused of attempting to murder his wife with rattlesnakesturns into full immersion for covington. Often treated as pagan and unchurched, native appalachian sects are labeled as ultraconservative, primitive, and fatalistic, and the actions of minority subgroups such as snake handlers are associated with all worshippers in the region. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Maybe if these appalachian snake handlers could start their hobby before reproductive age and thus enable darwinian natural selection to take effect, the urge could eventually be bred out of the population. Its popularity has increased and diminished through the years. Religious experts say snake handlers are aware of the risks and accept the consequences snake handling started in the appalachian region of the country snake handling began in 1910 near. Most religious snake handlers are still found in the appalachian mountains and other parts of the southeastern united states, especially in alabama, mississippi, georgia, kentucky, north carolina, tennessee, west virginia, and south carolina. In the meantime, if in fact we know whenever a scribe changed a text.
Around the turn of the 20th century, a particular verse from the gospel of mark became the foundation of a looselyknit congregation of true believers spread throughout the appalachian mountains that exists to this day. It is part of the southern tip of the appalachian mountain chain and it is the largest plateau in the chain. Focusing on several preachers and their families in six appalachian states, journalist julia c. I write this hub to bring some interesting and helpful facts about these groups. A look at the snakehandling churches of appalachia youtube. But duins book focuses on a new breed of snakehandling preachers young and adept at using social media to attract attention, including teenage and 20something members and television crews, to. Today, 50 years after the students first interviewed granny women and snakehandlers, the legacy of the skills and traditions of the backcountry live on. I stumbled upon a peculiar documentary from 1977, an indepth portrait of a snake cult that exists still to this day, in a tiny unincorporated community called jolo, with a most recently recorded. Carson springs and the persistence of serpent handling. Appalachia that is so little understood and appreciated, the world of the snake. Ruby wax talks to members of an appalachian snake handling churc.
Whatever the motivations of the snake handlers and of covington, his book is a wellwritten page turner, a perfect marriage of southern gothic prose, theology and journalism with a twist that is intensely personal. Mary ella engel this paper seeks to understand the creation of a distinct snakehandling culture within appalachia during the first half of the twentiethcentury. West virginias state constitution does not allow any law to impede upon nor promote a religious practice. In the house of the serpent handler offers an intimate and engrossing look at the latest generation of pentecostal believers who take up venomous snakes as a test of their religious faith. Snake handling is a serious practice by a small number of mostly appalachian christians.
Snake handling began in 1910 near chattanooga, tenn. To obtain this answer, we must first travel back in time to the closing days of jesus earthly ministry. Ralph hood who presented on his recently published book them that believe. One such church involved in the practice is the church of the lord jesus in jolo, west virginia, where serpent handling is legal. Snake handling and redemption in southern appalachia. A journalist by trade, he is sent to cover the trial of a preacher accused of killing his wife with rattlesnakes. Snake handlers have embraced a type of oldline fundamentalist appalachian religion that holds the holy ghost grants them the power to heal the sick. The trial, which becomes a sensation throughout southern appalachia, echoes familiar themes from a troubled. Appalachian writers and scholars rebut the gross simplifications and stereotypes of j. The narrator of much of the story is wren, the teenage daughter of briar, a west virginia snakehandler whos cultivated a legend for himself. Snakehandling and the gospel of mark the bart ehrman blog. The preacher in the story didnt have a snake to use, but he did. Churches that practice snake handling have dotted the appalachian mountains for over 100 years, but not until now has their story been so consistently and faithfully written by an author who is both a participantobserver and a ph.
Snakehandling churches have dotted appalachia for a hundred years and are generally secretive. All deem hillbilly a biased work reinforcing stereotypes of the regions people snake handlers, mountain men, as understood by a conservative kentuckian born into a poor, unstable family who pulled himself up by his bootstraps, attended yale law school, and became a venture capitalist. It has about 5,000 followers in four appalachian states in the u. Tom burton, a professor emeritus at east tennessee state university and author of serpent handling believers, an authoritative study of the belief, has attended many snakehandling services and studied the practice for. A finalist for the 1985 national book award, the book documents the culture and worship life of appalachian snake handlers. This was a very shocking book that took an intimate look into the lives of snake handlers on sand mountain in appalachia.
Them that follow is a slowburning blend of religious mania and body horror, featuring a phenomenal cast. Each year at irps there is a guest lecturer and last year it was dr. A freelance religion reporter, duin embedded herself in multiple appalachian snakehandling congregations like hamblins to discover what. Appalachian phenomenon of snake handling explained. Like other christian fundamentalists, serpent handlers beliefs are rooted in a literal interpretation of the scriptures. Duin embedded herself in multiple appalachian snakehandling congregations like hamblins to discover. Members tend to be older and born into the church, rather than converts. A history of snake handling kimbrough explains the history and practice of serpenthandling believers from the perspective of a respectful and scholarly participantobserver. Hensley started holding openair snakehandling spectacles that drew crowds by the thousands. Americas last snakehandling cults messy nessy chic. For many people, the illegal and deadly ritual that killed a middlesboro, kentucky, pastor is difficult to understand. In american literature and perhaps beyond there is no more common caricature than the religious zealot. Convingtons book is an affective memoir about his experiences with snake handling churches in the appalachians. Writer dennis covington came to this ecstatic form of christianity as a reporter covering a sensational murder case.