In the House of the Serpent Handler: A Story of Faith and Fleeting Fame in the Age of Social Media by Julia C. Duin (review)

In 2013 the National Geographic channel debuted a short-lived "reality" TV series called Snake Salvation. The series was cancelled after seventeen episodes, apparently because of poor ratings. In 2014 one of the main stars, a pastor named Jamie Coots, died after being bitten by a rattlesnake during a service. In the wake of this highly publicized death, Coot's young protégé Andrew Hamblin quickly rose to prominence and notoriety, only to backslide into ignominy a few years later. Hamblin's rapid rise and precipitous fall provides the narrative arc for In the House of the Serpent Handler.

Handling poisonous snakes, drinking poison, and exposing body parts to flames are common, if controversial, practices of ecstatic, spirit-filled worshipers in a small number of independent congregations on the fringes of the well-established (and generally snake-averse) Holiness tradition of Pentecostal Christianity. The justification for these practices is found in several proof texts, the most important being Mark 16:18: "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" (KJV). Biblical scholars largely agree that this passage is a late addition to the text, but of course Bible-believing Pentecostals reject that consensus.

Snake-handling churches have preached their version of the Gospel in rural Appalachian areas for more than a hundred years. Despite the passage of time, they are still widely disparaged in their home communities, and their practices continue to attract the attention of media and law enforcement. National Geographic is just one of many media outlets to exploit the believers, who are often outnumbered in their services by reporters and photographers.

In the past few decades, scholars have also examined the tradition, with varying degrees of sympathy and accuracy. David L. Kimbrough's 1995 book, Taking Up Serpents: Snake Handlers of Eastern Kentucky, is an excellent example of insightful historical scholarship enhanced by participant observation. Curiously, this book is not cited in Duin's slim bibliography.

In the House of the Serpent Handler falls somewhere between the extremes of lurid exploitation and academic study. Duin, a respected religion reporter, spent several years, largely in the aftermath of the National Geographic series, attending services, reading Facebook posts, and attempting to interview members of the congregations featured in the so-called reality show. The book is written in the now-old style of new journalism, in which the author is a major character and active participant in the story. Readers will learn a great deal about the quotidian details of Duin and her subjects' lives, as well as the difficulties she experienced researching snake handlers, driving through Appalachia, landing story assignments, and competing with other journalists and media outlets. While this gives readers a glimpse into the actuality of the snake-handling churches—and the media jockeying to portray them—much of this content falls into the category of "too much information," at least for me.

As the book develops, Duin focuses increasingly on the friends and family of Andrew Hamblin, a young snake-handling pastor who aspires to preserve and revitalize the tradition through television appearances, Facebook posts, and ambitious outreach efforts. Duin describes Hamblin as "one of the most unusual men I've ever met" (169) and obviously thinks highly of his talents. It is unclear why, however, because in her portrayal Hamblin rarely does or says anything that could be seen as exceptional, except perhaps within the economically depressed, educationally limited, and intellectually constricted confines of his community. Over the course of the narrative, Hamblin and his pregnant wife are shown suffering through months of emotional trauma before eventually getting divorced. Both have affairs, or so we are told. The entire soap opera is documented on social media by...