Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
Download to your computer
Kindle Cloud Reader

Serpent Handling Believers 1st Edition

by Thomas Burton (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars 5 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0870497889
ISBN-10: 087049788X
Why is ISBN important?
ISBN
This bar-code number lets you verify that you're getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. The 13-digit and 10-digit formats both work.
Scan an ISBN with your phone
Use the Amazon App to scan ISBNs and compare prices.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$12.95 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$28.85 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
More Buying Choices
16 New from $15.00 28 Used from $0.01
44 used & new from $0.01
See All Buying Options
Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student Free%20Two-Day%20Shipping%20for%20College%20Students%20with%20Amazon%20Student

$28.85 FREE Shipping. Only 1 left in stock (more on the way). Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Frequently Bought Together

  • Serpent Handling Believers
  • +
  • Them That Believe: The Power and Meaning of the Christian Serpent-Handling Tradition
  • +
  • Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia
Total price: $73.58
Buy the selected items together
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Product Details

  • Paperback: 344 pages
  • Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press; 1 edition (April 1, 1993)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 087049788X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0870497889
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.3 x 10 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #806,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customer Reviews

5 star
80%
4 star
20%
3 star
0%
2 star
0%
1 star
0%
See all 5 customer reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFaith such as this ...
By Peter Uys HALL OF FAME on February 11, 2007
Format: Paperback
In this absorbing work, Burton presents a balanced view of serpent handling believers, their history and religious culture. Combining academic research and oral sources, the author charts the history of the phenomenon while examining the legal and ethical issues associated with the practice. Although it is a scholarly study, the personal interviews and numerous black and white photographs make it a riveting read. The author takes a sympathetic approach while presenting both sides of the story, from the opinions of critics to the words of the believers themselves.

Chapters 2 & 3 deal with the life of pioneer George Went Hensley and the early history of the movement from around 1908. The history is further explored in chapter 4, illumined with quotes from the church publication The Evangel. The next one is devoted to the legal history of serpent handling in Tennessee courts with reference to particular cases of arrest and prosecution. The practice has always presented a dilemma between religious freedom and protecting the lives of citizens. It seems that the authorities have consistently been divided but in general have attempted not to interfere with freedom of faith.

Three personalities are given a voice in the chapter titled Portraits, in an attempt to provide psychological insight on the serpent handler. The three individuals are Liston Pack, Charles Prince and Anna Prince, all three of whom are quoted at length.

Media criticism of these believers is examined in the Conclusion, together with psychological studies, from the negative Freudian perspective of Weston La Barre to the sympathetic conclusions of Nathan and Louise Gerrard using the Multiphasic Personality Inventory Test, and the work of Susan Gilmore and Troy Abel.Read more ›
Comment 17 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsRemarkable Study of a Fringe Group of Americans
By Boomer on July 3, 2008
Format: Paperback
Author Thomas Burton does a fascinating, respectful study of one of this country's least understood religious groups--the serpent-handling Christians. He explains the beginning of the religious movement, its evolution, its leaders and its followers (including their prosecutions)with straightforward respect, honestly revealing both the positive and negative qualities of all those. In the end, if (like me) you aren't ready to swap your prayer beads for a rattlesnake, you'll at least be wondering why we call the Hopi sacred mystics when they take up poisonous snakes in their religious rituals, but may be inclined to call rural Caucasians stupid rednecks when they do the same thing.

A must for any serious student of Southern American culture!

You would also enjoy reading Burton's "The Serpent and the Spirit", the totally intriguing story of Glenn Summerford, which is a true crime story that can still be called a mystery, even as Summerford serves time following his conviction for attempting to murder his second wife.

Burton's writing style would make any subject matter fascinating. He serves up non-fiction in a way most authors can only dream of doing. Treat yourself to a Burton read.
Comment 11 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsSympathetic overview
By R. Bartholomew on July 28, 2010
Format: Paperback
This a sympathetic account of the phenomenon of Pentecostal serpent-handling and associated practices such as poison-drinking and fire resistance. The book looks at the subject from various perspectives - there is a historical overview, including a biography of George Hensley and "portraits" of several practitioners; a discussion of legal opposition the practice has faced; and a consideration of sociological, psychological and physiological aspects (parapsychology also gets a reference). There is also a very full bibliography, and many fascinating and striking photographs. However, it remains an overview rather than a definitive treatment.

The author is keen to stress that serpent-handlers are not abnormal or backward, and he wonders why there is so much hostility against them as compared with other risk-taking activities.
Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsTriumph of Faith
By Peter Uys HALL OF FAME on November 13, 2009
Format: Hardcover
In this absorbing work, Burton presents a balanced view of serpent handling believers, their history and religious culture. Combining academic research and oral sources, the author charts the history of the phenomenon while examining the legal and ethical issues associated with the practice. Although it is a scholarly study, the personal interviews and numerous black and white photographs make it a riveting read. The author takes a sympathetic approach while presenting both sides of the story, from the opinions of critics to the words of the believers themselves.

Chapters 2 & 3 deal with the life of pioneer George Went Hensley and the early history of the movement from around 1908. The history is further explored in chapter 4, illumined with quotes from the church publication The Evangel. The next one is devoted to the legal history of serpent handling in Tennessee courts with reference to particular cases of arrest and prosecution. The practice has always presented a dilemma between religious freedom and protecting the lives of citizens. It seems that the authorities have consistently been divided but in general have attempted not to interfere with freedom of faith.

Three personalities are given a voice in the chapter titled Portraits, in an attempt to provide psychological insight on the serpent handler. The three individuals are Liston Pack, Charles Prince and Anna Prince, all three of whom are quoted at length.

Media criticism of these believers is examined in the Conclusion, together with psychological studies, from the negative Freudian perspective of Weston La Barre to the sympathetic conclusions of Nathan and Louise Gerrard using the Multiphasic Personality Inventory Test, and the work of Susan Gilmore and Troy Abel.Read more ›
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Serpent Handling Believers
Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more
This item: Serpent Handling Believers
Set up a giveaway

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.



Pages with Related Products. See and discover other items: church history, world history