Following Snake Signs
by Abby Ohlheiser
The Bible says: “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, KJV)
And so, in the southern Appalachian Mountains, Pastor Jimmy Morrow of the Edwina Church of God In Jesus’ Name coaxes the snake on his lap with a gentle voice, saying “I ain’t gonna hurt you. I ain’t gonna hurt you dirty boy.” It’s a copperhead snake, a venemous pit viper. He’s a snake handler; his church members are Signs Followers: pentecostals who take Mark 16 literally. They believe, therefore they shall take up serpents, as the verse says.
But Pastor Morrow is handling for the cameras; a small group of documentarians are themselves being documented by filmmakers Jonathan Durham and Katrina Albright. It’s a media-only snake handling session, what Durham calls a change in the ritual of the church. Pastor Morrow is deliberately, directly, engaging with the media.
Durham and Albright are interested in that relationship between subject and documenter. Continue Reading →