Tuesday 8 July 2014

'Too many people were getting hurt': Snake-handling pastor and his congregation EVICTED from their church after legendary preacher died from bite AND his son was bitten

'Too many people were getting hurt': Snake-handling pastor and his congregation EVICTED from their church after legendary preacher died from bite AND his son was bitten

  • Pastor Andrew Hamblin's Pentecostal church practices a rare, century-old tradition of worshiping God with venomous snakes to show how He protects Christians
  • Clyde Daugherty, the owner of the church building, said he evicted Mr Hamblin because he seemed more interested in media attention than the word of God and too many people were getting injured or dying from snake bites
  • Mr Hamblin and fellow serpent-handling pastor Jamie Coots who died in February were stars of National Geographic's reality TV series Snake Salvation


A building owner evicted a pastor and his worshipers from their church because of their fondness for handling venomous snakes while praying and dancing.
Clyde Daugherty, who built the LaFollette, Tennessee-based church in 1994, rented the building to Andrew Hamblin for just $267 a month but eventually became fed up with all the serpents slithering about and occasionally injuring or killing congregants.
'Too many people were getting hurt and dying, and that's a proven fact,' Mr Daugherty told 10News. 'He was focused too much on the wrong things, like attention from the media and the TV show, instead of the word of God.'
 Andrew Hamblin, the pastor of Tabernacle Church of God in LaFollette, Tennessee, was evicted from his church by the building's owner because of his snake-handling ways

Andrew Hamblin, the pastor of Tabernacle Church of God in LaFollette, Tennessee, was evicted from his church by the building's owner because of his snake-handling ways

Mr Daugherty said he had offered to sell the church, trailers and surrounding property to Mr Hamblin for $66,000, but the pastor declined and is now looking for a new building. 

Mr Hamblin's Pentecostal church practices a rare, century-old Christian tradition of worshiping God with venomous snakes such as timber rattlers, cottonmouths and copperheads, according to Urban Christian News.

The 22-year-old plays mandolin, loves zombie movies, receives food stamps, has five children and was the star of a 16-episode National Geographic reality series called Snake Salvation, which featured Appalachia's serpent-handling churches. About 125 such churches exist in the U.S.

Pastors use the snakes to show non-Christians that God protects them from harm, holding them aloft as they pray, sing and dance. 

The belief stems from a literal reading of Jesus' words in the Gospel of Mark: 'And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.'

 The name Andrew Hamblin was removed from a sign for the Tabernacle Church of God

The name Andrew Hamblin was removed from a sign for the Tabernacle Church of God

Mr Hamblin, who said he has been bitten by poisonous snake many times, made headlines last fall after authorities seized more than 50 venomous serpents in his possession. A grand jury ultimately didn't indict him after his court appearances drew large crowds of supporters.

Mr Hamblin's mentor, fellow reality TV star and snake-wielding pastor Jamie Coots, died in February after being bitten at his church in Middlesboro, Kentucky. His son Cody, 21, took over for him and was bitten by a snake last month. 

'I was with Jamie in Middlesboro, Kentucky, when he was bit,' Mr Daugherty said. 'Enough is enough. There will be no snakes at my services.'


 Fellow pastor and reality TV star Jamie Coots (pictured) died after being bit by a venomous snake at a Middlesboro, Kentucky, church in February