The Serpent and the Spirit: Glenn Summerford's Story.The Serpent and the Spirit: Glenn Summerford's Story. By Thomas Burton
abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 1-57233-246-8.) Thomas Burton is professor emeritus of English at East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is an accredited American university, founded October 21911 and located in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system of colleges and universities. . He has produced three documentaries on snake handling Snake handling is a religious ritual in a small number of Christian churches in the U.S., usually characterized as rural and Pentecostal. Practitioners believe it dates to antiquity and quote the Bible to support the practice, especially: and is the author of Serpent Handling Believers (Knoxville, 1993). Burton's new work on snake handling, The Serpent and the Spirit: Glenn Summerford's Story, focuses on an event that occurred in 1991 near Scottsboro, Alabama. Glenn Summerford, a snake-handling preacher, was accused of grabbing his wife by the hair of her head, holding her at gunpoint, and twice forcing her to stick her hand into a rattlesnake rattlesnake, poisonous New World snake of the pit viper family, distinguished by a rattle at the end of the tail. The head is triangular, being widened at the base. The rattle is a series of dried, hollow segments of skin, which, when shaken, make a whirring sound. box. Darlene Summerford was bitten each time but survived. Summerford's alleged actions brought about a great deal of sensationalist sen·sa·tion·al·ism n. 1. a. The use of sensational matter or methods, especially in writing, journalism, or politics. b. Sensational subject matter. c. Interest in or the effect of such subject matter. news coverage, a very poorly written book, and scores of other products. Snake-handling congregations such as Summerford's are an extreme form of the Pentecostal/Holiness faith. These churches now consist of an estimated one thousand people nationally. They are found throughout the southern Appalachian highlands and in some northern industrial centers. The congregations base their beliefs primarily on the biblical text that reports the words of Christ before he ascended into the heavens: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:17-18, King James Version). The Serpent and the Spirit centers around Summerford's court trial and echoes familiar themes of a troubled secular world such as violence and marital infidelity. Burton's work is not theoretical and does not get into any type of analysis. He presents more than twenty narratives of people involved in the tragedy and lets them tell their stories, leaving readers to draw their own conclusions on whether Summerford was guilty or innocent. Even though Summerford's wife wrote suicide notes and many other variables cast doubt on his guilt, Summerford was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to ninety-nine years in prison, having been convicted previously of two felonies. The book is easy reading, informative, and interesting and contains excellent illustrations. It will be received favorably and of interest to the general reader. Burton is to be commended for this fine piece of work that has such broad appeal. Cluj-Napoca, Romania DAVID David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. L. KIMBROUGH |
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