People in the churches that Covington visited took poisonous snakes out of cages and handled them without using any form of protection during services. Luke 10:19 for example, states: I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy nothing will harm you (NIV). These churches incorporate snakes into worship services out of reference and obedience to New Testament verses that mention giving disciples power over such creatures. Salvation on Sand Mountain is an in-depth exploration of snake-handling churches in the American South. Salvation on Sand Mountain does a masterful job of showing parts of Alabama (and the entire region) that are worth showing and remembering. I bring up the election to underscore the main point of what I want to say in this quasi-review of Covington’s work: there are weird, borderline-crazy, and beautiful parts of the South that will never make the front page of national publications. Covington wrote about obscure religious sects in rural parts of the state, and published his findings more than 20 years ago.
These are all important stories, and the fate of Alabama in late 2017 has much to say about the fate of the United States as a whole.Īn Alabama special election in 2017 has little to do with Dennis Covington’s seminal work, Salvation on Sand Mountain at first glance.
Perhaps more importantly though, it showed the general ugliness of Southern politics and how contentious nearly anything can be in Alabama. That election, which prompted an almost-unheard-of Democratic victory by Doug Jones, is still in the headlines due to one candidate’s refusal to concede. Publishers Weekly described the text as "a captivating glimpse of an exotic religious sect." Booklist described it as a "fascinating work catches the essence of a place, southern Appalachia, its people, and the author's personal journey into his past.A quick Google search for “Alabama” brings up a Wikipedia page, the state’s official website, the webpage for the University of Alabama, and then several articles about the recent Senate special election. Salvation on Sand Mountain was a non-fiction finalist for the National Book Award. That then forms into caring for Summerford, himself. It can be described as a memoir of the author's experiences with the snake-handling Church of Jesus with Signs Following and his temporary participation in their church.Ĭovington submerged himself into this congregation, and began to care tremendously for their beliefs. The book, which is written in the first person, begins in a neutral, journalistic style and becomes more emotional as the author is drawn to the people and practices of the church. The book was a finalist for the National Book Award. The storyline follows the author as he goes from covering the trial of Glenn Summerford to experiencing a snake handling church in Appalachia. Salvation on Sand Mountain is a 1995 nonfiction book by Dennis Covington.
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