A trial is scheduled for Cody’s abuser.However, believers across the faith are concerned about Cody testifying. The reason? One day at church, long ago, when Cody was 8, something unbelievable happened. It's something only Cody's church knows.   Now, if it comes out at trial, they all know Cody and Trina will be whisked away from their parents.

A trial is scheduled for Cody’s abuser. However, believers across the faith are concerned about Cody testifying. The reason? One day at church, long ago, when Cody was 8, something unbelievable happened. It's something only Cody's church knows. Now, if it comes out at trial, they all know Cody and Trina will be whisked away from their parents.

A trial is scheduled for Cody’s abuser.However, believers across the faith are concerned about Cody testifying. The reason? One day at church, long ago, when Cody was 8, something unbelievable happened.&nbsp;It's something only Cody's church knows. &nbsp; Now, if it comes out at trial, they all know Cody and Trina will be whisked away from their parents.

3. "We Can't Testify"

Cody Coots is a fourth-generation serpent handler. By age 6, he handles mock serpents with his sister, Trina, in the church, using leather belts for props. Cody secretly yearns for a normal childhood. 

He likes to ride his bike, play drums, and watch WWE wrestling with his father, Jamie. (Jamie is the world's most famous serpent-handling preacher.) A terrible act of violence befalls 8-year-old Cody, shocking the serpent handling community. A preacher pleads guilty to charges of deviant sexual abuse, but it's too late: Cody's innocence is shattered. Anger boils inside him, so he turns his wrath upon his parents, his church, and even his God.

As he cruises the backstreets of Middlesboro, Ky, looking for nothing but trouble, Cody's sins begin piling up. But the consequences do, too. 

Is Cody beyond salvation? Or, is he as the community describes him: "Marked for life?"

Society & Culture

Music

Music History

Cody Coots is a fourth-generation serpent handler. By age 6, he handles mock serpents with his sister, Trina, in the church, using leather belts for props. Cody secretly yearns for a normal childhood. He likes to ride his bike, play drums, and watch WWE wrestling with his father, Jamie. (Jamie is the world's most famous serpent-handling preacher.) A terrible act of violence befalls 8-year-old Cody, shocking the serpent handling community. A preacher pleads guilty to charges of deviant sexual abuse, but it's too late: Cody's innocence is shattered. Anger boils inside him, so he turns his wrath upon his parents, his church, and even his God. As he cruises the backstreets of Middlesboro, Ky, looking for nothing but trouble, Cody's sins begin piling up. But the consequences do, too. Is Cody beyond salvation? Or, is he as the community describes him: "Marked for life?"

Share 3. "We Can't Testify"

Sign up to save your podcasts

3. "We Can't Testify"

3. "We Can't Testify"

More shows like Marked for Life

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von

Alabama Astronaut