Taking up serpents — literal serpent handling in Appalachian Holiness

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Serpent handling is a Pentecostal religious rite predominantly found in Appalachian Holiness churches, deeply rooted in an interpretation of Mark 16:17-18, which commands believers to take up serpents as a sign of faith. This practice involves the handling of venomous snakes such as rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths during worship services. Believers will typically approach the front of the church, where snakes are kept in cages, and pick them up, often raising them or allowing them to crawl on their bodies as an outward demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power and protection.

The practice originated and spread widely in Appalachia in the early 20th century, largely credited to George Went Hensley, who popularized serpent handling as a demonstration of faith among Pentecostals. Hensley linked this ritual to the Pentecostal practice of speaking in tongues, merging it with the broader charismatic worship experience.

Serpent handlers view the snakes as instruments of God’s will rather than objects of danger, firmly believing that true faith protects them from harm. Deaths from snakebites are interpreted within the community as God’s will or the individual’s time to die, not as a failure of faith. Many handlers refuse medical intervention after a snakebite, relying instead on prayer and the faith community for healing. However, in recent years, some younger ministers have begun advocating for seeking medical help, balancing faith with practical health concerns.

Services involving serpent handling typically combine this rite with speaking in tongues, testimonies, laying on of hands for healing, and fervent prayer. It is a high-risk, highly symbolic act, evoking intense emotional and spiritual experiences. The community formed around serpent handling is tight-knit, valuing mutual support, shared belief, and cultural identity through this unique expression of faith.

Though serpent handling is one of the five signs mentioned in Mark 16, it is considered endangered due to legal restrictions, public criticism, and decreasing numbers of practitioners in Appalachia. However, it remains a powerful and defining spiritual practice for those who follow the tradition, encapsulating their trust in divine protection and their commitment to literal biblical obedience

The thesis “These Signs Shall Follow: Endangered Pentecostal Practices in Appalachia” by Melanie Rae Harsha documents and analyzes a set of Pentecostal and Holiness practices—some common, others regionally endangered—particularly in Appalachian communities.

Here is a complete list of the practices discussed throughout the final draft:

Core Pentecostal “Five Signs” from Mark 16

Harsha’s thesis centers on these five practices (often called signs following):

1. Casting out devils — exorcism or prayer to cast out evil spirits.

2. Speaking with new tongues — glossolalia, or speaking in unknown languages (central to receiving the Holy Ghost).

3. Taking up serpents — literal serpent handling (practiced by certain Appalachian Holiness churches).

4. Drinking deadly things — voluntary drinking of poison (most often strychnine).

5. Laying hands on the sick — faith healing and anointing with oil for recovery.