The Truth In Print Vol. 18 Issue 8, Sept. 2012
A Publication of the
Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street,
Yuma, AZ 85364 (928-782-5058)
Website Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
Taking Snakes to
Church (Pentecostals’ Snake Handling)
Some
get offended when you ask, “Why do Pentecostals practice fake spiritual signs?”
Speaking the truth often offends in the religious realm (cp. Jo. 6:60-62).
Randy Mack Wolford “was” a snake handler. He died of a snake bite received
during a worship service in May, 2012. His death was supposed to have proved
something — that he was faithful to Christ. I’ll discuss that in light of some
scriptures later in this article.
Author Julia Duin had formerly published a
piece on Mr. Wolford in November of 2011 for the Washington Post: “In West
Virginia, snake handling is still considered a sign of faith.” She wrote again
in May of 2012 about his death: “Serpent-handling pastor profiled earlier in Washington
Post dies from rattlesnake bite.” She also wrote a piece for the WSJ in April,
2012 featuring Andrew Hamblin and the Tabernacle Church of God’s Easter Service
in La Follette, Tenn. stating its Easter rituals of
foot washing, communion, shouting, dancing, speaking in tongues, serpent
handling and fire handling. Hamblin is quoted as saying, "We'll celebrate
the resurrection of Jesus Christ with a good old time." Loving the
excitement of stirred emotions is true of all Pentecostals whether they are
smart enough to stay away from snake handlers or not.
Having not preached on Pentecostal errors from some time I took
advantage of the occasion in April to show what some do for a church holy day
(holiday) the New Testament church knew nothing of, Easter, and then again I
did so in June showing the needless death of one who did not understand fully
that God’s Word was confirmed in the first century — and that for all time (cf.
Heb. 2:3-4; Mk. 16:18-20; Jude 3).
Taking Snakes to
Church
Mr.
Wolford is pictured in the earlier article as arriving for worship with a box
of snakes for a sort of Labor Day homecoming for snake handlers. Mk. 16:18-20
is always included in justification for “snake handling” — and I might add
dying thereof. Preachers of the Gospel in the first century church are nowhere
pictured as arriving for worship with a box of snakes! There is something
obviously missing in these peoples’ understanding here.
Though the article explains that they believe true Christians take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it will by no
means hurt them — adding they will lay hands upon the sick and they will
recover — such is not the case in reality. The man featured died! Moreover,
interviews show those who drink watered down poison get sick! It says “it will
by no means hurt them” — they should read that every time they get sick! And
should some feel compelled to call for prayer for the ones who try it and get
sick then they need to read it! The truth is they have a
emotionally watered down doctrine that is false to the core — those leading
them love the feelings attached to their place of leadership. Mr. Wolford is
not the first by any means to die from such a religious practice, and he will
not be the last. The same scenario will continue as long as the error is
practiced.
A Supposed “Sign” to
Show God has Power
According to Duin’s interview (2011 before
Wolford’s death) Mr. Wolford believes “This is a sign to show people that God
has the power.” She states that “...he’s willing do so despite having been
bitten four times — and despite watching his snake-handling father
die an agonizing death.
Mr. Wilford was in reality just the opposite of the “sign” he claimed — he
displayed the signs of impairment from what he was practicing. Ironically, in
the April 2011 article Duin writes “Should anyone
feel called by the Spirit this weekend to make such an expression of faith,
there is a kerosene-filled Coke bottle on a ledge in front of the pulpit, and a
Mason jar of strychnine and water hidden behind the pulpit. (Wolford, who has
drunk strychnine on several occasions, says it made his muscles stiffen and
lungs seize up but didn’t appear to have any long-term effects.)” What did Mk.
16:18 say? Did it say poison would make your muscles stiffen and lungs seize
up!
Going
on Duin writes “Mack Wolford cares. When asked, he’ll
display four spots on his right hand where copperheads have sunk their fangs.
Like other Pentecostal snake handlers, he doesn’t seek antivenin medication
when bitten but relies on God to heal him. “There’s a lot of pain,” he says.
“For the first couple of weeks, you swell up and break out in hives.”
What Happened to Paul
on Malta (Acts 28)
Act 28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of
sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and
fastened on his hand.
Act 28:4 And when the barbarians saw the
venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man
is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Act 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the
fire, and felt no harm.
Act 28:6
Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead
suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him,
they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
Paul
didn’t quit what he was doing! The contradiction here is Wolford who really
used to care about these signs said himself that for the first couple of weeks,
you swell up and break out in hives —– Acts 28:6 says that is what the natives
were expecting to happened to Paul.
The Effects of Being
Bitten
Duin references a religious expert on snake handling in
saying this: According to Leonard, the religion professor, nearly every snake
handler has been bitten. “It is not uncommon for some of them to have lost
digits — their fingers — because the nerves have gone dead,” Leonard says. “The
venom attacks the nervous system. It’s vicious and gruesome when it hits.” Yet
Wolford risks this again and again, despite watching his father die at age 39
of a rattlesnake bite. “He lived 10 1 / 2 hours,” remembers Wolford, who was 15
at the time. “When he got bit, he said he wanted to die in the church. Three hours
after he was bitten, his kidneys shut down. After a while, your heart stops. I
hated to see him go, but he died for what he believed in.”
About Those Who Die
Not Being Criticized
These articles I’ve referred to show that snake handlers adhere to a
“no-lose” explanation built into their false doctrine as a defense if one of
them should die. Duin writes: “Those who die from
snakebites are never criticized for lack of adequate faith; it is believed that
it was simply the deceased’s time to die.”
In a further explanation Duin
quotes a professor Hood who says: "When they handle serpents, they either
have 'victory,' in which God has granted them power over the serpent, or if bit
and even killed, that demonstrates their obedience and assurance of salvation."
Briefly, I’ve shown you the sheer stupidity in just some of their false
doctrine — the Lord said it will not even harm but it did harm! Paul is an
example of what Mk. 16 speaks of and he did not swell up or die — he wasn’t
taken to a house to recover — he didn’t have to have his brethren praying for
his recovery — all the things that take place in the “snake handling”
Pentecostal religion are missing in the real account in the scriptures. And
might I add folks that Paul did not take a box of snakes to church!
This
is a religion that makes the Lord a liar! The serpent hanging on Paul’s hand
didn’t kill Paul because he was faithful!
Do
not be spiritually “dead” by endorsing such an obviously false belief!
To
better understand errors of Pentecostalism in general go to http://www.yumavalleychurchofchrist.com/articles/prophecy.htm.
By
Bob Lovelace
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