Jamie Coots, one of the pastors I do remember (because he was also featured on Snake Salvation and, after filming ended died of a snakebite) would travel to two or three churches weekly with his snakes, one in each state. However, seeing as this is all set in West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and North Eastern Tennessee, these worshipers often dart around different churches, sometimes going to three or four different services a week in different states. I’ll be honest – it’s been a while since I’ve read this so I don’t remember all the names. I think the best way to go about this is to at least set the scene. Also, the way this book is written is a very-loose formed, chronological first-person narrative of the snake-handling subculture of Christianity. He’s a Christian, but not of the same stripe as those who handle serpents, so he has a level of commonality, but a degree of distance as well (though, spoiler alert, he does end up snake-handling a few times). He’s an observer of this culture, as well as a participant to a degree. That’s not to say there aren’t points or themes to be considered, but the points the author has made are on a very personal level. I’ll adhere to that format a little bit and I’ll try to hit all the notes, but it’ll be out of order because there’s a few things to be said about this work that aren’t conducive to such rigid analysis.įirst, there aren’t that many arguments made here. Normally, I use a four-pronged system of analysis in which we would discuss the book in general, we’d look at the arguments, we’d analyze the arguments, and we’d discuss why this book is important, if it is so. And maybe I never will, but my efforts lead me to this book: Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington.
Whereas most people would just dismiss these practices, I treat it like a magic show: I can’t just help but want to see it and try to understand it. Most of the time, they’re not bitten sometimes they are sometimes it’s a minor dry bite other times it’s fatal. What’s important, though, is that people believe it and act upon it, with various results in spite of it being quite illegal (state law prohibits it).
The authenticity of these verses is suspect, but that’s outside the purview of this review. Originally, I was going to add it to my reading list for a rainy day because it was a relatively short read about a niche subject, but I cracked it open just to examine it and ended up reading about half of it, so I resolved to just up and read it then and there.įor the uninitiated, the premise that Christians can pick up deadly serpents is based on two portions of the Bible that promise to protect true believers (Mark 16:17-18 Luke 10:19). Once purchased, my reading this book was what Bob Ross would call a “happy little accident”. So I resolved to find a book on the subject. About a year ago, I watched Discovery Channel’s Snake Salvation and for some weird reason, it fascinated the hell out of me.
0 kommentar(er)
