Preach with poison! Incredible images show last remaining snake-handling church in West Virginia — preachers believe dealing safely with venomous snakes and fire is a sign of salvation
- The Gloryland photo exhibit features rituals in dealing with snakes at a church in Squire, West Virginia
- Preachers handle venomous snakes, ingest venom, and hold fire bottles to their chins
- The Church claims that true worshipers within them should be able to ingest poison without suffering – although many have died from the practice
A mix of Delta blues and bluegrass music blares from the speakers at the House of the Lord Jesus, hidden deep in the Appalachian Mountains.
It’s almost loud enough to drown out the sound of rattlesnakes lying in their tanks.
The Wolford family-run church is the last remaining snake-handling church in West Virginia, where preachers have been known to play with venomous snakes, drink poison, and hold fire bottles.
Their practices date back to the early 1900s and are based on the belief that anyone who truly carries the Holy Spirit should be able to ingest poison without suffering and survive any number of venomous bites . Such rituals have killed many and injured many more.
Here in an upset stomach photo exhibit, Gloryland, the unique services of the house of the Lord Jesus are captured on camera by photographer Robert LeBlanc.
GLORYLAND, an exhibition at the Fahey/Klein Gallery, offers an “intimate perspective” of the last remaining snake-treating Pentecostal church in West Virginia. The church, run by the Wolford family, sees preachers handling snakes, ingesting poison and handling fire in unusual services. Their rituals are based on the Bible passage Mark 16:17, which reads: “In my name they will cast out devils; they will speak in new tongues. They will pick up snakes; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will be healed.’
The House of the Lord Jesus is one of the few churches still practicing snake handling in the 21st century. These rituals have been the subject of controversy as they were responsible for so many deaths. In 2014, Pastor Jamie Coots of Kentucky died after being bitten by a snake he handled en masse. And in 1991, Pastor Glen Summerford, 76, was jailed after he tried to murder his unfaithful wife by forcing her to put her hand in his rattlesnake cage.
A member of the Church, Robert “Bobbie” Ayers, is pictured after being bitten by a rattlesnake. The image is part of the GLORYLAND exhibition, created in collaboration with NFT marketplace Super Rare and art streaming platform Niio
In a foreword to the picture book, Ralph W. Hood writes, “This is a compassionate insight into a tradition more slandered than understood. This is her story and a look at a faith that many believe is destined to be abandoned.’
A nun is pictured holding a bottle of fire to her chin while Pastor Chris Wolford holds a rattlesnake in the background. The images were captured by Robert LeBlanc, whose work is characterized by unusual intensity and immediacy.
Chris Wolford reads a scripture in a mountain in Cucumber, West Virginia
Elijah, pictured here, is the nephew of Pastor Chris Wolford. In an HBO documentary “Alabama Snake,” an official said of the prevailing practice in the Appalachian Mountains, “I think people who live up in the mountains tend to take care of their own problems, they don’t need or want them.” Police you would find here in Scottsboro,” a uniformed officer explained.
Photographer Robert LeBlanc writes that the sound of rattlesnakes “fills the air” in the church, while the sound of “delta blues” and “bluegrass” music
The exhibit, which runs January 24-28 at the Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles, features a nun holding a bottle of fire to her chin. An NFT iteration is also available on Super Rare.
An abandoned hopper wagon coal loader. In a foreword, Ralph W. Hood wrote: “A major theme in GLORYLAND is abandonment. There are wonderful images of abandoned buildings, houses and an abandoned coal loader. In West Virginia, coal is king. Corporate America is taking the wealth from coal mining, raping and devastating the country, leaving behind what is no longer needed – including those who risk their lives underground or are now operating giant machines that are leveling entire mountains. However, giving up is a double theme. The simple fact is that West Virginia believers have not forsaken God. Poverty or not, believers in West Virginia abound in their embodied faith.’