A handwritten sign on the pulpit of the Church of the Lord Jesus warns members of the consequences of picking up snakes and drinking strychnine:
snakehandlingchurch
By the way, I know some Catholics think snake-handling is a something that happens in Protestant churches every Sunday. While some shocking things you may have heard about our churches are accurate (yes, we really do have Welch’s grape juice and saltine crackers for communion), the claim that snake-handling is a common practice is a myth. The truth is that we only break out the copperheads for the St. Patrick’s Day service.
(Via: Parchment and Pen)
October 2nd, 2010 | 11:56 pm
Not all Protestant churches use Welches and crackers!
October 2nd, 2010 | 11:58 pm
Not all Protestant churches use Welches and crackers!
Sadly, you’re right. Some churches I’ve gone to have used Wal-Mart brand juice and day-old Wonder bread. ; )
October 3rd, 2010 | 12:03 am
Wonder-bread? That is not of God…. The first time I took communion as a kid, we used Pepperidge Farms goldfish. As a result, I got the stories of the loaves and fishes mixed with the last supper in my head. There’s something to be said for a catechism!
October 3rd, 2010 | 12:09 am
While not as obvious a sign as this sign, that should be a sign that you should consider other options (pardon all those puns!)
But I’ve encountered that too, sadly.
October 3rd, 2010 | 12:36 am
Or as my boyhood Pentecostal church might have put it: “What’s communion?”
October 3rd, 2010 | 7:05 am
At the risk of plugging a competing (but also very worthwhile — I love both then and FT!) journal, the following — written by a friend — is very instructive: http://72.52.197.41/archives/article.php?id=15-07-017-v
October 3rd, 2010 | 9:55 am
If they’re “not responsible”, then in what sense will the church “stand by” members who are bitten? Sounds like “We have enough faith to pretend that snake-handling is legitimate worship, but not enough to make any real guarantees.”
October 3rd, 2010 | 10:35 am
[...] HT: First Thought [...]
October 3rd, 2010 | 3:51 pm
And pooh likewise on the notion that we southern Protestants dine on fried squirrel. In these health-conscious days, we much prefer baked squirrel.
October 3rd, 2010 | 9:07 pm
@Lars: The, uhm, theology (and I use the term somewhat loosely) behind snake handling/strychnine drinking is essentially this: If you get bit/poisoned, you didn’t have enough faith. If you die, you had even less.
The whole concept is based upon St. Mark 16:17-18. Period. That’s it. A good general guideline is not to build an entire theology out of two verses of Scripture, particularly when the theology in question results in a practice that can (and often will) result in your death!
In all seriousness, several years ago I stumbled across a documentary on the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ with Signs Following. Fascinating, albeit strange, stuff.
October 3rd, 2010 | 9:55 pm
The whole concept is based upon St. Mark 16:17-18. Period. That’s it.
They should have considered “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
October 4th, 2010 | 7:45 am
All well and good, but I was wondering what the pastOr of the congregation does in these circumstances.
October 4th, 2010 | 11:26 am
Education, theological or otherwise, isn’t really a priority with these folks. They take a great deal of pride in that in fact!
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