STEDY, June 27, 2018

June 28, 2018
, 10:30 am
, Youth News

Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all
because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
Acts 181-6
Doesn’t everyone have that one member of the family that is so different that you wonder how you can be related. While I feel this way often about several members of my family, I think this feeling hits me strongest when I look at my brothers and sisters in Christ. Seeing the differences in Christian hermeneutics, lifestyles and worship leaves me amazed that we are infused with the same spiritual blood. This scripture we are studying this week is one of two that has inspired a very unique and sometimes secret form of Christian worship you probably will never see in an Episcopal church, that is snake handling.
Yes, it really does exist. Snake- handling churches, denominationally known as the Pentecostal Holiness Church have dotted Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, West Virginia and Kentucky for about a hundred years. It is estimated that there are about 125 congregations currently in existence, many churches hide this practice as it is illegal in every state except West Virginia. Inspired by Acts 28:1-6 where Paul picks up a poisonous snake and yet is unscathed. Mark 16:17-18 is also cited which 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.”
The pastors of these congregations have snake huts in their churches or home which hold species like rattlesnakes, timber rattlers, canebrake, northern copperheads and cotton mouths. The snakes aren’t present in every service, however when the holy spirit leads them, the preachers will bring the snakes into worship to be handled by people who believe their faith will protect them. Also following Mark’s comments about drinking deadly things, they will routinely drink poison such as strychnine or lye and apply flames to their hands or feet to show the power of God. In handling these snakes, preachers have admitted that it’s a bit of a roulette game. Snakes don’t become tame so the more times you handle them, the greater your chance of getting bit, which happens quite frequently. When someone is bit or becomes ill, medical treatment is usually refused as a further sign of faith however the list of deaths is long and growing. In 2013, the National Geographic Channel had a short-lived program called Snake Salvation which featured two prominent preachers. One, Jamie Coots, a Kentucky preacher, was bitten by a rattlesnake in February 2014 and died two hours later, his family having refused medical treatment.
Many Christians, even Pentecostals which is the branch of Christianity from which snake-handlers come, has denounced this practice and will make fun of these sects and their interpretation of scripture. Putting down someone for the way they have been taught isn’t something we should be espousing however this practice does lead to the always critical question of safety and potential abuse in the worship, especially when these practices are taught to and expected from children. Snake-handling, like many other things, is seen as a sign of faith, refusal or inability to participate can be seen as a lack thereof or denial of Christ’s power. As a community we need to make sure everyone can experience God and express their own personal beliefs in a way that is safe not only for themselves but for others.

~ Upcoming Events ~

Sunday, July 1
Team 1 Acolyting