Snake-Handling Pentecostals (Church of God with Signs Following)
Appalachian Pentecostal congregations practising serpent-handling and strychnine drinking based on Mark 16:17–18. Multiple documented deaths including pastor Jamie Coots (2014) and Mack Wolford (2012).
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+1 for documented preventable deaths from snake bites refusing medical care.
Profile facts
In context
Snake-handling congregations are scattered across Appalachian USA, descending from George Hensley's 1910 movement. Mark 16:17–18 is read as commanding believers to handle serpents and drink poison as signs of faith. Snake-handlers historically refuse medical care after bites; multiple pastors including Jamie Coots and Mack Wolford have died publicly. Most US states have anti-serpent-handling laws.
Key control doctrines
- Mark 16:17–18 literal mandate
- Faith demonstrated through serpent handling
- Refusal of medical care
Recovery resources
See the full curated list at /resources.
Legal cases & controversies
- Multiple US state anti-serpent-handling laws
- Multiple pastor deaths
Evidence by BITE axis
- Serpent handling at services
- Strychnine drinking
- Refusal of medical care after bites
- Children present at services
- Mark 16 reading authoritative
- Outside Christian rejection framed as faithless
- Faith demonstrated through dangerous signs
- Pastor's interpretation final
- Public bite-and-recovery testimonies emotionally intense
- Family pressure to participate
Timeline
- 1910George Hensley initiates serpent-handling
- 2012Pastor Mack Wolford dies of snake bite
- 2014Pastor Jamie Coots dies of snake bite
Sources
- Dennis Covington, 'Salvation on Sand Mountain' (1995) search ↗
- National Geographic 'Snake Salvation' (2013) search ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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