Jamie Coots
Acting
Biography
Gregory James Coots was an American Pentecostal pastor with the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name. The church was founded in 1978 by his grandfather Tommy Coots. Jamie's son Cody Coots is now the pastor.
Known For
In the hills of Appalachia, Pentecostal pastors Jamie Coots and Andrew Hamblin struggle to keep an over-100-year-old tradition alive: the practice of handling deadly snakes in church. Jamie and Andrew believe in a bible passage that suggests a poisonous snakebite will not harm them as long as they are anointed by God's power. If they don't practice the ritual of snake handling, they believe they are destined for hell. The pastors must frequently battle the law, a disapproving society, and even at times their own families to keep their way of life alive.
Snake Salvation
They call it religion. It's been branded a cult. The lethal handling of serpents. In the name of God. Immolation, speaking in tongues, ecstasy, self injury and the dangerous snakes. The bible belt of the very South. Backyard churches. In West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Appalachia.