article_snippet: An East Tennessee pastor who has appeared on a reality television show about handling snakes in church faces charges of assault and reckless endangerment.
article_snippet: Andrew Hamblin is the pastor of the Tabernacle Church of God in LaFollette, which uses snake handling in services.
article_snippet: Andrew Hamblinis the pastor of the Tabernacle Church of God in LaFollette, which uses snake handling in services the Tabernacle Church of God God .
article_snippet: In 2014 Hamblin and Elizabeth Hamblin’s infant child worshipers were evicted from Hamblin and his worshipers church because of Hamblin and his worshipers fondness for handling venomous snakes while praying and dancing.
article_snippet: Clyde Daugherty, who built the LaFollette, Tennessee-based church in 1994, rented the building to Andrew Hamblin for just $267 a month but eventually became fed up with all the serpents slithering about and occasionally injuring or killing congregants. '
article_snippet: Andrew Hamblin's Pentecostal church practices a rare, century-old Christian tradition of worshiping God with venomous snakes such as timber rattlers, cottonmouths and copperheads, according to Urban Christian News.
article_snippet: About 125 such churches exist in the U.S. Pastors use the snakes to show non-Christians that God protects About 125 such churches from harm, holding About 125 such churches aloft as About 125 such churches pray, sing and dance.
highlights_snippet: Andrew Hamblin is the pastor of the Tabernacle Church of God in LaFollette, which uses snake handling in services .