Church of God with Signs Following

The Church of God with Signs Following is the name applied to Pentecostal holiness churches that engage in the practice of snake handling and drinking poison in their religious worship services, based on Mark 16:17-18.

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. - Mark 16:17-18, King James Bible.

History

The practice of snake-handling first appeared in American Christianity around 1910¹ associated with the ministry of George W. Hensley of Grasshopper Valley in southeastern Tennessee. Hensley was a minister of the Church of God of Richard Spurling-Ambrose J. Tomlinson origin. In the 1920s, the Church of God repudiated the practice of snake-handling, and Hensley and his followers formed a separate body. Serpent-handling in north Alabama and north Georgia originated with James Miller in Sand Mountain, Alabama at about the same time. Miller apparently developed his belief independently of any knowledge of Hensley's ministry. In 2004, without even knowing or even hearing of Hensley or Miller, a Canadian embraced the last two of the five signs in Mark 16: 18 to enhance his spiritual walk after deep "scriptural reflection." A handful of Canadians also got a "revelation from God" about snake-handling as a 'correct' doctrine.

Worship

The practice usually consists of a worship service with singing, praying, speaking in tongues and preaching. The front of the meetinghouse, behind the pulpit, is the designated area for handling snakes. Rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads are the most common, but even cobras have been used. As the service crescendoes, those who feel "annointed" approach the front and begin to pick up the snakes, usually raising them into the air and sometimes allowing the snakes to crawl on their bodies. The snakes are considered incarnations of demons, and handling the snakes demonstrates one's power over them. Members are not required to handle the snakes. Some "believers" will also engage in drinking poison (most commonly strychnine) at this time.

Over sixty cases of death as the result of snakebites in religious worship services have been documented in the United States. If a handler is bitten, it is generally interpreted as a lack of faith or failure to follow the leadership of the Spirit. But individual incidents may actually be understood in a variety of ways. Bitten believers usually do not seek medical help, but look to the Lord for their healing. Beginning in 1936, six southeastern states outlawed snake-handling. George Hensley died in Florida in 1955 from a poisonous snakebite.

Independent researcher Deborah McCauley discovered that serpent-handling churches are not one uniform body, a fact that has previously lacked sufficient recognition. They fall into at least two distinct groups: oneness or Jesus-only (Nontrinitarian) churches and Trinitarian churches. The groups located in central Appalachia tend to be Oneness, while the churches located in southern Appalachia tend to be Trinitarian.

In other areas of belief, the Church of God with Signs Following holds doctrines and practices similar to related Church of God and oneness bodies. They maintain a strict teaching of "holiness", practice speaking in "tongues", "divine healing", fire baptism, and footwashing. They also stress Romans 16:16 - "Salute another with an Holy Kiss."

Number of adherents

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 the Encyclopedia of American Religions, churches "can be found from central Florida to West Virginia and as far west as Columbus, Ohio". The snake-handling sect of beliefs and practices goes as far as to cross the border into Western Canada in 2004 to Lethbridge and Edmonton, Alberta. Each church body is independent and autonomous, and the denominational name is not consistent in all areas, although it is almost always some variation of the name "Church o' God" (Trinitarian) or "Church o' Jesus" (Non-Trinitarian).

The distinctive practice of these churches is variously known as serpent-handling, snake-handling, and taking up serpents. Many people consider snake-handling to be a part of uneducated folk religion.

Legality

The practice of handling snakes has been made illegal in a number of states. In Tennessee, it is illegal to display any venomous reptile in a manner that endangers anyone. Alabama has a similar statute. In Kentucky, it is illegal to display any reptile at a religious ceremony. Prosecutions, however, are rare.

External links

References

Appalachian Mountain Religion: A History, by Deborah Vansau McCauley ISBN 0252021290
Foxfire 7, Paul F. Gillespie, editor ISBN 0385152442
Serpent-Handling Believers, by Thomas Burton ISBN 087049788X
Snake Handlers: God Fearers or Fanatics?, by Robert W. Pelton & Karen W. Carden
Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia, by Dennis Covington ISBN 0140254587
Taking Up Serpents: A History of Snake Handling, by David Kimbrough ISBN 086554798X

Footnotes

1. The Encyclopedia of American Religions gives the year as 1909; the Encyclopedia of Religion in the South gives it as 1913.
2. Encyclopedia of American Religions (1996), J. Gordon Melton, editor
3. American Originals: Homemade Varieties of Christianity (1997), by Paul K. Conkin

see also - Snake handling

Christian fundamentalism

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