Snake-Handling Pastor Dies of Rattler's Bite

Snake-Handling Pastor Dies of Rattler's Bite

The Wired Word for June 10, 2012

In the News

During a Sunday service two weeks ago, Pastor Mark Wolford, 44, was fatally bitten by a rattlesnake during a snake-handling ritual considered a sign of faith and of God's power. Wolford had seen his father die from a snake bite during a similar church ritual almost 20 years earlier.

The service was an outdoor event held at the Panther Wildlife Management Area in West Virginia. Wolford was part of a Pentecostal sect that takes Mark 16:17-18 as authorization for dangerous tests of faith. In the King James Version, those verses read: "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."

Based on these verses, some who handle snakes as a religious practice also have rituals during which they drink strychnine and play with fire as a testimony of faith. Wolford previously said he had swallowed strychnine on several occasions. He said the poison made his muscles stiffen and lungs seize up, but didn't leave him with any long-term effects.

Partway through the service two weeks ago, Wolford passed around a timber rattlesnake. He then laid it on the ground and sat down beside it. The snake suddenly bit him on thigh.

Wolford was then driven to a family member's home about 80 miles away to recover. But he became much sicker and was eventually taken to a hospital, where he died.

Officials at the wildlife area say they didn't know the event was happening and would not have given permission for it if they had, as West Virginia state park rules prohibit bringing animals other than dogs and cats onto the grounds. Snake-handling per se is not illegal in West Virginia, though other Appalachian states, including Kentucky and Tennessee, have banned it in public spaces.

Snake-handling as an act of faith began in 1909 in an east Tennessee church, and once had several thousand practitioners. There are far fewer people today publicly involved with it, though there may be some who practice snake-handling in home settings. Mainstream Pentecostal denominations condemn the practice in any setting.

Snake-handling practitioners believe that when a person is bitten during one of the rituals, the person may become sick, but that if the person is not a "backslider," God will eventually intervene and restore the person to health. No anti-venom drugs are used. Wolford himself had previously survived bites from copperheads.

Those who do die from snake bites are not assumed to lack faith; rather it is believed that it was simply that person's time to die. It's estimated that 80 to 100 people have died from snake-handling rituals since the practice began.

In a Washington Post report last year about snake-handling as an act of faith, a reporter spoke to a practitioner who identified himself only as Clifton. He explained, "I'm a serpent hound, a sign-believing preacher." He maintains that people must handle snakes, drink poison, practice healing and speak in tongues to be saved. He is aware that the number of people like him is diminishing but that may be a good thing, he said. "Scripture says unless there's a great falling away, the end won't come."

More on this story can be found at these links:

"Serpent-Handling" West Virginia Pastor Dies From Snake Bite. ABCNews
In West Virginia, Snake Handling Is Still Considered a Sign of Faith. Washington Post

The Big Questions

1. Most Christians reject such practices as snake-handling, poison-drinking and fire-playing as means of testing faith. But is it important to test our faith in some way? Why or why not? What does it mean to "test" one's faith? What is the difference between "testing" one's faith, "stepping out in faith" and "putting God to the test"?

2. Is every verse in the Bible meant to be read literally? Give some examples to support your answer. Is every verse meant to be taken as applying to oneself? Again, support your answer with some examples. What is the difference between taking a passage "literally" and taking it "literalistically"? How can one tell when one or the other is appropriate?

3. Is there anything actually sinful about deliberately participating in a dangerous act for the purpose of showing God's power? If not, why not? If so, what might such a sin be called?

4. If not by dramatic and dangerous tests of faith, how does God want us to relate to him?

5. It's easy to ridicule faith practices that seem to us to be misguided, but what genuine religious impulse is at their root? What things doto you do to respond to that impulse?

Confronting the News With Scripture
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

James 1:2-4
"My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing." (For context, read 1:2-8.)

Here James talks about the testing of faith, but he's not referring to some dangerous practice that one does deliberately. Rather he's talking about life's troubles, difficulties or "trials" (to use James' term) that come to us unbidden. His point is that while these trials make life hard, risky and painful, sometimes they benefit us as well, because they can teach us things, help us to mature and may even deepen our faith.

Still, it's not easy to immediately affirm James' viewpoint here. When you face troubles, you should consider it "nothing but joy"? Really?

James lived in an age when every Christian faced the possibility of hostility from outside. So when he spoke of "trials," he may have been thinking specifically of persecution. We've not had much experience with that, but we know what it's like to have so many troubles that we feel like someone has it in for us. We've had experience with nuisances, wretched luck, bad timing, misfortune, failure, pain and disappointment. And we know what temptation feels like, too.

James is telling us that tough times are potentially occasions for blessing because if we weather them while holding onto our faith, we will emerge stronger and more mature spiritually. We will have faith that has been tested, not deliberately, but by the pain of being human.

At root, James is talking about who or what defines reality for us. If we look at troubles and temptations as having the final word in our lives, then reality for us is that life is trouble and there isn't much we can do about it. But James is saying that God defines reality, and if, when we have troubles and temptations, we have confidence that God has the final word, then it is possible to see trials and troubles as temporary conditions. It is a different way of looking at the world, and with that perspective, joy may be a more natural response than despair.

Questions: When have you experienced troubles as a testing of faith? What happened to your faith while you were in the midst of the difficulty or pain? How does your faith today compare with your faith when you were a beginner in Christianity?

Mark 16:17-18
"And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." (For context, read 16:14-18.)

At The Wired Word, we take the Scriptures very seriously, but for these verses, which snake-handlers use to explain their practices, we must state a qualification. The fact is, in the oldest manuscripts of the New Testament (and presumably, therefore, the most accurate), the gospel of Mark ends at 16:8. (If you'd like to see this for yourself, take a look at the Codex Sinaiticus online (http://codexsinaiticus.org/en/), the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. It's in Greek, but if you click on the "See the Manuscript" tab and then use the search feature to look up Mark 16, you'll get an English translation.

That means Mark 16:9-20 was added much later, by someone other than the original author. Every modern version of the Bible acknowledges this in some way. For example:

• the New International Version (NIV), while including Mark 16:9-20, adds this statement between Mark 16:8 and 16:9: "The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20."
• the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) also includes 16:9-20, but explains in a footnote: "Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8."
• the New American Standard Bible (NASB) includes the suspect text, but has this footnote: "Some of the oldest [manuscripts] do not contain vv. 9-20."
• The Message includes 9-20 but encloses the passage in square brackets and says in a footnote: "Mark 16:9-20 [the portion in brackets] is contained only in later manuscripts."
• and the newest version, the Common English Bible (CEB), has this heading above 16:9-20: "Endings Added Later," as well as an explanatory footnote.

Thus, when considering what weight to give this business about snake-handling and poison-drinking, it's important to recognize that the Gospel of Mark in its original form did not include such comments. This may not be convincing to the snake-handling groups, however, because most use only the King James Version of the Bible (published in 1611), based upon Erasmus' Greek Bible, often called the Textus Receptus ("received text"), which is not as old as the Codex Sinaiticus. Neither the KJV nor the Textus Receptus indicate that those last 12 verses of Mark are a later addition.

It's not difficult to understand why someone felt compelled to add to Mark's gospel, however. Mark 16:8 reads, "So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." Fear seems like an odd note on which to end a gospel. What kind of closure is that? Mark 16:1-8 does tell of the Resurrection, but to stop at verse 8 seems like one is leaving out the rest of the story.

Did Mark intend that his book end with verse 8 or did he write some more that somehow got separated from his original manuscript, so that the earliest copyists did not have it to copy? Nobody knows the answer for sure, although many Bible scholars today conclude that verse 8 was the original ending. But we can understand why a later editor might have wanted to add a more upbeat conclusion.

Questions: Read Mark 16:9-20. How much of what's there is supported by the other three gospels? What's there that is not supported by the other three?

Luke 10:19, which is not a contested part of Scripture, says, "See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you." At first glance, this would also seem to support snake-handling as a faith ritual. But read it in context (10:1-20). In what ways does the context make this a special case? What especially does verse 20 add to your understanding of verse 19?

Luke 4:12
"It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (For context, read 4:1-13.)

This is Jesus' response to the devil when the latter tempted Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, performing a dramatic and mind-blowing stunt sure to gain him an immediate following. The devil reminded Jesus that because of his unique identity as the Son of God, angels were on hand to ensure that no harm would come to him if he made this jump. But Jesus responded with the words above, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. In effect, Jesus is saying that the divine protection hadn't been given for him to demonstrate how well it worked or to make stunts possible. To rely on divine intervention while taking showy risks presumes on God's graciousness. (Thus, the answer to the last part of Big Question 3 might be "presumption.")

There is a difference in kind between trusting God in a given situation, praying for (and, perhaps, even trusting in) divine intervention, and seeking out situations wherein one is basically deciding that God needs to perform a miracle on demand.

Questions: No doubt, most practitioners of snake-handling as a faith ritual are sincere in their belief that the practice is appropriate and God-pleasing. What might you say to such a person from your understanding of the Christian faith to explain why the practice might not please God? How do you decide which of your own actions are God-pleasing?

Acts 28:3, 5
"Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. ... He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm." (For context, read 28:1-10.)

This incident from Paul's life is a good example of the difference between trusting God for help and "testing" God. Paul was putting wood on a fire "when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand." Those who witnessed this immediately concluded that Paul must be a murderer who was receiving a kind of rough justice. They expected him to "swell up or drop dead" (v. 6), but Paul merely shook the poisonous snake off and suffered no ill effects. (The witnesses then concluded that Paul must be a god!)

This was almost certainly a case where God protected Paul, but Paul didn't deliberately go looking for a snake so he could prove his faith to his audience or demonstrate the extent to which God would protect him from harm.

Questions: When have you been aware that God saved you from harm? Why does God not always save the faithful from harm?

Proverbs 27:1
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." (This is a stand-alone proverb; no additional context needed.)

"Boasting about tomorrow" probably means making plans without allowing for the action of God. The Message words this proverb as "Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow."

Question: How might "boasting" about tomorrow be a form of the sin of presumption? (Read James 4:13-17, to see his answer to this question.)

For Further Discussion

1. How might the following verse apply to today's lesson? "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  

2. How might the following verses apply to today's lesson? "Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:11-13).

Responding to the News

It's worth considering in what ways we should be displaying our faith.

Other News This Week

Iconic Vietnam Photo Is 40 Years Old

Most of those who lived through the Vietnam era will recall Nick Ut's photo of a little girl running naked down the street in agony after her village was struck by napalm June 8, 1972. That searing photo was shot 40 years ago this week.

Two of the girl's cousins died in the attack. She was put in the morgue because her burns were so extensive and severe that she wasn't expected to survive. The subject of the photo, Kim Phuc (pronounced "fook"), was forever changed by the event and all that followed: a 14-month hospitalization; countless operations; attempts of governments, private individuals and agencies to politicize her suffering and to capitalize on her unwanted celebrity.

"People tell me, 'You are living history' because my picture is in the history books," Ms. Phuc said from her home near Toronto. "But I say ... I am not only living history, but I am a living miracle."

"I hated my life. I hated everyone who was normal because I was not normal. And living with that is really like hell in this life. I have no hope. No dream. No nothing. And how come? Deep down in my heart, I am seeking the truth. I am seeking the answer all the time: 'Why me?' My life became a bird in a cage. I felt so bitter and angry. I cursed those who had hurt me. I had to change my heart or die from hatred."  

She turned to her family's Buddhism and other religions in her search for peace and understanding. "I pray to too many gods -- to Buddha, to Hindu, to the river, the ocean, the mountain, ancestors who are dead in the family. But no answer. I still suffering. I wanted to die."

Things started to change when she picked up a copy of the New Testament at the library. "When I got to John 14:6, and I read that Jesus say, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man can come to heaven but by me,' then I was really confused ... because my religion combine everything! ... What was true, my religion or Jesus?"

She said she became a Christian on Christmas Day 1982, when she was 19. Phuc cited the words of Luke from the New Testament: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

Phuc admits that forgiving the people who hurt her was a long and challenging road. "I had to pray ... a lot," she said. "I started to put all the names of the people who caused my suffering on my prayer list ... my heart became softer. ... The power of love and forgiveness is more powerful than any weapon of war."

"The picture was one of the first things my father showed me when I returned from hospital 14 months after it was taken, and I hated it then," Phuc said. "But now I consider it as a gift from God, as part of God's plan for my life, and it has helped open so many doors to bring a message of forgiveness and hope to so many people around the world. ... Over the years, I have learned to take control of the picture and not let the photograph control me. I cannot change the history of what happened to me," she said. "But I can change the meaning of it."

More on this story can be found at these links:

The Long Road to Forgiveness. NPR (audio story)
AP "Napalm Girl" Photo from Vietnam War Turns 40. Salon
"Girl in the Picture" Headlines Faith Week. The Cannon
Girl in Famous Photograph Turns Tragedy Into Blessing. Toledo Blade
The Kim Foundation International

Questions to Consider

1. What can Phuc's experience teach us about God's ability to redeem suffering, transform us and give purpose and direction to our lives through adversity?

2. Is there someone in your life you need to forgive? What can you take from Phuc's life experience that can help you forgive others?

3. What do you think Phuc found in the person of Christ that was so compelling and that brought her release from her anger, bitterness and despair?   

4. Are there things in your life you cannot change but wish you could? How can you change the meaning of those things?

5. What good can God bring out of horrific experiences such as the anguish Phuc went through?  

Scripture to Guide Your Discussion

2 Corinthians 3:18
"And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit."

Question: How has God transformed affliction into glory in your life?

2 Corinthians 4:6-11, 15-18
"For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. ... Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal."

Question: How does physical and emotional trauma compel us to search beyond what is temporary and material for what is eternal and inner?

2 Corinthians 5:17-20
"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."

Question: How can you become an agent of change and a minister of reconciliation in your own situation?

Philippians 3:20-21
"... the Lord Jesus Christ ... will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself."

Romans 12:1-2
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect."

See also Genesis 45:4-9 and 50:15-21.

Closing Prayer

O God, thank you for the reality of faith and for the wisdom it teaches us, even through our troubles. In Jesus' name. Amen. 
 

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