Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Irreverin

Home
Progressive Christian
Snake in the Grass

Snake in the Grass

Last updated on: February 18, 2014 at 6:02 pm by Erin Wathen

Snake in the Grass 2014-02-18T18:02:01-07:00 Erin Wathen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Fair warning for my mother, and others with intense reptile aversions–there be snakes in this post. Talk of snakes, the idea of snakes, links to articles containing pictures of snakes, possible scriptural allusions to snakes. If you want to skip this and come back tomorrow, there will be an entirely serpent free post.

So this guy… in Kentucky… I’m guessing you know where I’m headed with this… He died from a snake bite. In a worship service.

Where he was the pastor.

I’m not one to judge other people’s religious practices, but if you die in the practice of said religion, I call fair game. The world gets to criticize you and your totally bananas interpretation of scripture.

We are not talking here about a martyr–someone who dies for their belief under violent oppression. We’re not talking sacrifice–someone who feels called to a dangerous, dark corner of the world and dies there in the service of others. This case of snake handling service gone bad… well, it amounts to testing the Holy. “I triple dog dare you, God!”

I grew up in a small town in southeastern Kentucky. I went to school with kids who went to the kinds of churches where these things sometimes went down. (In fact, the last recorded church-related snake bite death happened in 2006, in my home town). Places where people spoke in tongues, where women did not cut their hair or wear pants, and where, yes, sometimes the worship guests did not all have legs. [wait, i just read that again. They do not wear pants, but do wear SKIRTS. Just needed to clarify…and not leave those good church ladies sitting there naked for the rest of my story]

Thing is, those churches are about much more than the backward sorts of practices that occasionally make the news (in–why is it always?–Kentucky). Those congregations are about the Holy Spirit. They are about losing onesself in a worship experience. They are about true community. And man, can they SING. I’m not saying that I agree with their rigid rules of appearance that only apply to women–or with a hundred other things about their theology or ideology. But, there is certainly more going on there than the zoo-like moments that get media attention.

Last week, the Kansas house tried to legalize discrimination against LGBT folks, (speaking of zoo-like moments) under the guise of religious freedom. Now Idaho is trying the same thing (even though the movement in Kansas appears to be dying a quick and painless death, thank the Lord). All calling for an extensive discussion of what ‘freedom of religion’ does and does not encompass. Thankfully, most Americans agree that ‘freedom’ does not entitle the believer to abuse another person.

But–does it extend to the abuse or endangerment of one’s self? Enter snake handling pastors…

And I guess the bigger question is this: even if you are technically, legally free to practice faith in this way… is this sort of practice really faith? Or is it superstition?

Many people who don’t believe in God say there’s no difference: that all religion, and practice thereof, amounts to childlike fantasy, and cannot be justified any more than throwing spilled salt over one’s shoulder. Meanwhile, most people of faith, though they know there’s a difference, would have trouble articulating the variance. The line may be fine–a snake in the tall charismatic grass–but I promise you, it is there.

While I cannot judge the depth of another person’s belief, (or the ‘contents of his heart,’ as my Pentecostal friends might say) we can guess what motivates someone towards certain types of behavior and expression. It’s simple, really: are they acting out of hope? Or are they acting out of fear?

And that’s where you draw the very fine, serpentine line between faith and delusion: one inspires acts of hope and the other…well, the other leads a person to test God, at the expense of their own life. And maybe even someone else’s.

What was this pastor afraid of? Who knows. Maybe of being thought a phoney. I think we all fear that, at least a little bit. Maybe he feared the judgment of a vengeful God, and felt the need to prove his righteousness.

Or maybe he was afraid of what God was REALLY calling him to do. I don’t know what… But the call of God on our lives can be a dang scary thing sometimes. Maybe this guy caught a glimpse of what was really being asked of him, and a wriggling reptile seemed a pale threat in comparison.

The command to love our neighbor as ourselves; to work for peace in a wrecked up world; to give all that we own to the poor; to die to ourselvesso that others may live;aren’t these all terrifying prospects? Aren’t we all a little bit afraid that God might actually call our bluff, and expect us to DO THESE THINGS?

Maybe I’ll go out catching snakes after all.

Real faith inspires acts of hope. Kindness. Mercy. World-shaping love. Faith calls us up higher, and to reach beyond our baser impulses to control, possess, or be elevated in the eyes of others.

In fact, faith looks a lot like freedom. I mean, ACTUAL freedom. Not the controlled illusion thereof. Faith does not demand that God ‘prove’ oneself by showing up in fang-proof body armor. Nor does faith demand that others mirror our own belief and behavior. Because faith–stop me if you’ve heard it–faith is the substance of things HOPED FOR. The assurance of things unseen.

Faith may ask us to put ourselves in harms way, in the interest of protecting another person. But for a show or a sign? For the appearance of power, or a godlike knowledge of good and evil? That doesn’t sound like faith to me. That sounds like temptation itself.

Like a dern snake in the grass.

progressive christianity

snake handling

Previous Post

February 13, 2014

Gay Cheeseburgers in Kansas: Faith, Freedom, and a Law About Neither

Next Post

February 20, 2014 We Who Are Alive (or, 10 Reasons the Church Ain't Dead Yet)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category a good week for progress Advent and Christmas Being a Person desert life faith and community Good News for Progressives Lent and Easter Marriage and Family S*^! Jesus Says sabbatical road tripping Spirituality in Culture Talking to Strangers the "Best Stuff I Ever Ate" diet travel Uncategorized writing Writing Prompt Wednesday

Select a Month January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 February 2011 July 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

And my God will meet all your ____ according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Select your answer to see how you score.

Hopes Prayers Dreams Needs