Snake-handling in Tennessee

The new Religious Studies specialist our department just hired is interested in studying this phenomenon. She's coming to the right state.

“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.”
While other churches ignore this passage or treat it metaphorically, serpent handlers follow it literally. Their intense faith demands sinless living and rewards them with spiritual ecstasy — the chance to hold life and death in their hands."

Snake-handling believers find joy in test of faith | The Tennessean | tennessean.com