Prominent Amarillo pastor is fired after arrest in prostitution sting
David A. Ritchie, a religion instructor and the prominent lead pastor of Redeemer Christian Church in Amarillo, Texas, has been fired following his arrest over the weekend in a prostitution sting.
Redeemer Christian Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post on Wednesday, but it confirmed Ritchie’s firing in a statement to ABC 7.
"[Ritchie] was immediately placed on leave, and our elders met Monday night to officially terminate his employment," Andrew Merker, a church spokesperson, told the news outlet on behalf of the elders. "We are shocked and heartbroken by this news, and we are committed to exercising appropriate accountability."
Ritchie, 42, who has been charged with solicitation of prostitution, was one of eight men arrested in the undercover sting conducted by the local Department of Public Safety on Friday and Saturday, ABC 7.
The other men arrested for similar charges and other crimes are John Alexander Grado-Vega, 26, of El Paso; Braiden Deion Sellers, 34, of Pascagoula, Mississippi; William Theodore Bradley, 47, of Amarillo; Jorge Luis Lopez-Najera, 24, of Amarillo; Jerry Mac Rottenberry, 53, of Amarillo; Kody Ray Dick, 37, of Amarillo; and Travis Jordan Brooks, 35, of Clermont, Florida.
Ritchie’s profile has already been scrubbed from the church’s website. An archived page from his own website describes him as a married father of three boys who holds degrees from Amarillo College, West Texas A&M University and Reformed Theological Seminary. He is also listed as a part-time instructor of religion at West Texas A&M.
A university spokesperson told the Amarillo Tribune that he is not employed by the university.
Ritchie, who also serves on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations and ministries, is the author of Why Do the Nations Rage?: The Demonic Origin of Nationalism.
In a post on Facebook on Wednesday, Madison Jonas, who says he has known Ritchie for nearly 20 years, said that while he doesn’t condone what Ritchie did, why so many men are soliciting prostitutes needs to be examined.
Here's a clue to start your research > So many men, even pastors, have not surrendered themselves completely to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Even our sex lives need to be surrendered to His will, and our will must be surrendered. That's a cross you must carry daily if you are going to be ready to face the Lord on that Great and Terrible Day.
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