Evangelical Snapshots

1. Snakehandler Dies from Bite.

Linda Long, 48, was bitten Sunday at East London Holiness Church, where neighbors said the reptiles are handled as part of religious services, The Lexington Herald-Leader reported Tuesday. Long died at University of Kentucky Medical Center about four hours after being bitten, authorities told the newspaper. "She said she was bitten by a snake at her church," said Lt. Ed Sizemore of the Laurel County Sheriff's Office...Snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a $50 to $100 fine. Police said they had not received any reports of snake handling at the church. Snake handling is based on a passage in the Bible that says a sign of a true believer is the power to "take up serpents" without being harmed. Church officials could not be reached for comment.

2. An Evangelical Pope. I got this in an e-mail ad for a new book:

An alarming trend is developing in the Evangelical church. The same pastors who were once touting themselves to have the biggest church are now making even bolder statements, such as..."One of the World leaders of the Christian Church"..."All denominations believe in the same basic doctrine, Love God, and Love your neighbor, we should all unite"...notice the absence of Jesus’ name here...One pastor is even being announced as “The World’s Pastor.”

"The world's pastor"? Isn't that what El Papa claims to be?