Taking Up Serpents: Snake Handlers of Eastern Kentucky

The Holiness serpent handlers, who originated around 1910, are one of the most controversial religious groups in America. Their practice has brought them into conflict with authorities many times, and the often sensationalized media accounts of their services fascinate and horrify us. But as David Kimbrough so ably documents, snake handlers are sincere worshipers who honestly believe that they are protected by God when they take up serpents.