Amarillo Globe-News
DOUG HENSLEY
June 5, 2022·4 min read
It can sometimes be a curious path that leads to becoming a published author. Just ask David Ritchie, lead pastor at Amarillo’s Redeemer Christian Church.
Earlier this year, his book “Why Do the Nations Rage? The Demonic Origin of Nationalism,” appeared, making a remarkable journey from master’s thesis research to a thoughtful 150-page look at nationalism from a biblical and theological perspective.
The project has benefited from excellent timing. Ritchie wrapped up his research as the pandemic took hold in 2020 and then turned in the rough draft of his thesis on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, to a professor in Washington, D.C. After what happened later that day, the professor told him turning it into a book would be a good idea.
“My professor said it was a timely and needed perspective right now,” Ritchie recalled. “There was a lot of material out there on nationalism, but not a lot from the perspective of a pastor asking how to locate this force in our world theologically. I’m grateful to have the opportunity. It surprised me that it came out of one of the most challenging times of ministry I have ever known — the turmoil of the pandemic.”
Ritchie came to faith when he was a sophomore at West Texas A&M University while reading the biblical book of Romans in his dorm room. “I felt like if this gospel is as true and powerful as the Bible was showing me, I wanted to give my entire life to seeing it go forward.”
In the years since, he has been devoted to ministry and has watched as the church he leads has steadily grown into a thriving fellowship of believers.
That has certainly kept him busy, but as nationalism has become more discussed and evident, Ritchie also thought the book would offer a helpful viewpoint from a pastor who had taken a deep dive into the phenomenon.
“Something I noticed more than ever before is I was seeing Christians who were more seemingly eager and able to naturally share their political ideals and political values and political narrative they felt was best for the nation,” he said earlier this week, “but at the same time not being willing to naturally or effectively through an overflow of heart share the Christian gospel.”
What Ritchie decided to explore was the why and how in cases on both the left and the right, “politics has become our functional good news we’re most willing to share with neighbors.”
From Ritchie’s perspective as a pastor, this is important. He has been in full-time ministry for 18 years with the last 10-plus serving Redeemer. He is an Amarillo native with deep roots in the region (one side of the family can be traced back five generations in the Amarillo-Canyon area).
“This is my place and my people,” he says of his pastoral role. “I am deeply called to minister to these people.”
The book that grew out of the thesis grew out of Ritchie’s interest in the Apostle Paul’s New Testament epistles in which he talks about “powers and principalities or rulers and authorities,” depending on translation. Without giving too much away, the book explores the contours of nationalism, which, Ritchie said, can be traced biblically to the tower of Babel incident recorded in Genesis 11.
“It is sometimes surprising to people that I am not unpacking American nationalism,” Ritchie said. “It is a critique of the broad phenomenon of nationalism in all of its forms. It has a spiritual dimension to it, but also how consistently nationalism uses Christian categories of doctrine to advance its message.”
Ritchie said nationalism is distinct from patriotism. “Patriotism is a rightly ordered love for one’s nation, an extension of godly love for neighbor,” he said. “Nationalism is when that loves becomes ultimate and your vision of nation becomes something of ultimate loyalty. Then you have an idol on hand with a spiritually charged element to it.”
For the most part, the book has resonated, and Ritchie has been invited to present a paper on the topic at an upcoming meeting of the American Academy of Religion.
“It’s been well received in academic circles as far as interest in what a pastor has to say about this issue from a biblical perspective. People in my own community have been supportive all along the way.”
Doug Hensley is associate regional editor and director of commentary for the Globe-News.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/hensley-amarillo-pastors-thesis-became-105204968.html
