 George Went Hensley ( May 2 , 1881 – July 25 , 1955 ) was an American Pentecostal minister best known for popularizing the practice of snake handling . A native of rural Appalachia , Hensley experienced a religious conversion around 1910 : on the basis of his interpretation of scripture , he came to believe that the New Testament commanded all Christians to handle venomous snakes . 
