In 2014, Kentucky pastor Jamie Coots died after being bit by a rattlesnake during a service at his tiny Middlesboro, Ky church. It was the tenth time the Pentecostal leader had been bitten during his tenure as a snake handler, and the last time he refused medical attention for a poisonous bite. At the time, his son Cody told the local CBS affiliate, “When it’s your time to go, it’s just your time to go.” Such is the faith that guides the kind of Pentecostal snake handlers who populate Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage’s “Them That Follow,” devotees of Christ who interpret the King James Bible to literally encourage them to “take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.”
Deep in Appalachia, the decades-old practice continues in a handful of churches, places just like the one where Coots received his final bite.
Deep in Appalachia, the decades-old practice continues in a handful of churches, places just like the one where Coots received his final bite.
- 8/1/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
It takes up to 48 hours to die of a rattler bite. For the Pentecostal snake handlers of Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage’s debut, “Them That Follow,” that’s two days to pray, bicker, and wonder if your faith might be poisonous. Augie (Thomas Mann) was born doubtful. But up on this Appalachian mountain, he’s the only one who is. His devout parents, Hope and Zeke (Olivia Colman and Jim Gaffigan) have grudgingly started to accept his apathy. But his secret childhood sweetheart Mara (Alice Engler) is considering marrying dweeby zealot Garret (Lewis Pullman) to please her dad (Walton Goggins), the reptile-obsessed preacher.
This patriarchal, anti-science church in the woods lit by a stark neon cross does not come off well. Yet in Poulton and Savage’s empathetic script, the only villain is Satan, who the locals blame for everything from asthma to sex. The parishioners believe in...
This patriarchal, anti-science church in the woods lit by a stark neon cross does not come off well. Yet in Poulton and Savage’s empathetic script, the only villain is Satan, who the locals blame for everything from asthma to sex. The parishioners believe in...
- 1/28/2019
- by Amy Nicholson
- Variety Film + TV
Can't keep a good rattlesnake down -- or a deadly one -- 'cause the snake that killed Pastor Jamie Coots from "Snake Salvation" ... is back in the church.And now you have options: Death by rattler venom Or flame! Ahh ... religion. Read more...
- 2/25/2014
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
The rattlesnake that killed "Snake Salvation" Pastor Jamie Coots a week ago made an encore appearance Saturday night at the same church with Jamie's son at the helm ... and this time no animals or people were hurt.Cody Coots prayed over a bevy of snakes -- one of which was the rattler that killed Jamie. The video is insane ... it looks like a revival service with a live band and snakes and worshipers all flailing in the air.
- 2/23/2014
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Bite me once shame on you ... the new pastor in the "Snake Salvation" church will Not accept medical treatment today if he's bitten by the rattlesnake that killed his father exactly one week ago.Cody Coots tells TMZ ... he will indeed handle the deadly snake during the afternoon Kentucky service. What's more, he says there will be No anti-venom meds on hand in case the snake attacks again.And ... if he's bitten and paramedics rush to the church,...
- 2/22/2014
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
The top police force in Kentucky will Not step in and block a church service featuring the rattlesnake that killed "Snake Salvation" star, Pastor Jamie Coots last Saturday.TMZ broke the story ... the Middlesboro Pd told us they would not enforce a state law prohibiting the handling or displaying of reptiles in religious services. Police Chief Jeffrey Sharpe told us the government has no business meddling in religious affairs.So we called the Kentucky State...
- 2/22/2014
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
National Geographic Channel will air a special episode of its series “Snake Salvation” on Thursday at 10 p.m., in honor of its late star, Jamie Coots. The Kentucky pastor recently died Saturday from a snake bite. The special, “Snake Salvation: They Shall Take Up Serpents,” will be a retrospective highlighting Coots’ belief in the religious ritual of snake handling. Also read: ‘Snake Salvation’ Star Jamie Coots’ Death Reignites Controversy Over Bible Passage According to National Geographic Channel, the special will also shine a light on the legal troubles Coots encountered in the name of religious snake-handling, which is banned in Kentucky.
- 2/19/2014
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
Days after the death by snake bite of reality show star Pastor Jamie Coots, National Geographic Channel has set a special tribute episode of Snake Salvation to air tomorrow, February 20. Coots was one of the leads on Nat Geo’s show following two Southern Pentecostal pastors and practitioners of the “Holiness” faith, which partook in the dangerous tradition of snake handling. Coots died Saturday after refusing medical attention for a rattlesnake bite incurred during church service. Snake Salvation: They Shall Take Up Serpents will air Thursday, Feb. 20 at 10 Pm Et/Pt. “We wanted to air this episode tomorrow night as a way to give perspective to the world-wide discussion his death has caused,” Nat Geo Ceo David Lyle said in a statement. The special episode will highlight Coots’ struggle to procure and maintain the collection of venomous snakes used in his church, including a trip to buy diamondbacks in Texas.
- 2/19/2014
- by JEN YAMATO
- Deadline TV
This Thursday, Feb. 20, National Geographic Channel (Ngc) will air a one-hour special retrospective compilation from its series Snake Salvation, which it says will remember the life of Pastor Jamie Coots. Ngc also told me that this will likely be the last episode of Snake Salvation, as they currently do not have plans for any additional episodes. Coots (pictured) was the star of Snake Salvation, a reality series that followed Coots and his Pentecostal congregation who believe that a passage in the Bible suggests that poisonous snakebites will not harm believers who are anointed by God. They incorporate snake-handling into … Continue reading →
The post “Snake Salvation” special to remember Pastor Jamie Coots appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
The post “Snake Salvation” special to remember Pastor Jamie Coots appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
- 2/19/2014
- by Jeff Pfeiffer
- ChannelGuideMag
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