Pearl Spurlock

Nestled in the rolling hills of Athens County, Ohio, is LifePoint Pentecostal Church. LifePoint is an apostolic Pentecostal church. The fundamental doctrine of the Apostolic Pentecostal Church is this: “We believe in the Bible standard of full salvation, which is repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance.”

According to the West Virginia Humanities Council, Pentecostalism is the largest religious division to have originated in the United States. It is prevalent in the Appalachian United States, with Pentecostal churches present in 385 of 399 counties in Appalachia. The religion was founded in 1901 through the teachings of a Kansas preacher named Charles Fox Parham. Parham brought the concept of glossolalia, known as “speaking in tongues.” Speaking in tongues, which is often associated with Pentecostalism, is the believed spiritual gift of speaking a language one does not know as a method of prayer or praise for God. 

Snake-handling is also often associated with the Pentecostal faith, though the practice has largely died out and is illegal in every state aside from West Virginia, where a few churches still handle snakes. The ritual is rooted mostly in a passage of the Bible, Mark 16:17-18, which states "These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

LifePoint, and most Pentecostal churches, do not practice snake handling, but the stereotype associated with Pentecostals remains. Pastor Barry Blankenship, head pastor, joked about this stereotype in a sermon he delivered, titled “Stop Playing with Dead Snakes,” which addressed the idea of letting go of old vices.

Pastor Blankenship has been the head pastor at LifePoint since 2016. He lives in Athens with his wife, Ashley, and their four boys, three of whom are homeschooled. The couple met at church camp and married young. Barry proposed on a mission trip the couple attended in Ireland. 

Barry Blankenship leads his congregation with the vigor and emotion that Pentecostals are known for. Congregation members are encouraged to be vocally responsive during services. It is common for church goers to shout out in agreement, clap, or cheer as he or other pastors speak. The congregation often dances, runs, or stomps, as Blankenship preaches. As he speaks, he paces across the stage and around the room, stomps his feet, and raises his voice to deliver his message, often slipping into song or speaking tongues. He carries a towel on his shoulder to wipe his face from sweat, tears, or both.

Blankenship believes that the university presence in Athens is an opportunity for Christian revival. “The whole world comes to us,” he told the congregation during one sermon.

Pentecostalism is an evangelical faith, meaning it prioritizes spreading the word of the Bible and “saving souls,” by convincing people to turn to Christianity and dedicate their lives to God, firstly through baptism. LifePoint keeps a baptistry warm at all times in the church sanctuary, and Blankenship vocally encourages people to get baptized if they haven’t been.