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A married Texas pastor has been fired after he was allegedly caught out by police in an undercover prostitution sting.
David A Ritchie, 42, was the prominent lead pastor of the Redeemer Christian Church in Amarillo.
Ritchie had led a congregation of 1,500 Texans, and in 2021 he published a book arguing that nationalism is 'demonic' and follows a 'false gospel'.
He has been married for almost 18 years, according to his wife Kate Ritchie's Facebook page, which celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in July 2023.
The devout couple appeared to have a picture-perfect family life with their three young sons, as documented in vacation photographs on social media.
However, this came crashing down on Sunday when the pastor was charged with solicitation of prostitution along with seven other men.
The group was snared by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) as part of an undercover operation.
Redeemer Christian Church did not respond to calls from the Daily Mail, but spokesman Andrew Merker told ABC7 that Ritchie had been fired.
Married Texas pastor David A Ritchie (with his wife Kate) has been fired after he was allegedly caught out by police in an undercover prostitution sting
Ritchie, 42, was a religion instructor and the prominent lead pastor of the Redeemer Christian Church in Amarillo, Texas
'(Ritchie) was immediately placed on leave, and our elders met Monday night to officially terminate his employment,' said Merker.
David Ritchie, 42, was arrested last weekend
'We are shocked and heartbroken by this news, and we are committed to exercising appropriate accountability.' The Daily Mail has contacted Ritchie for comment.
The other men arrested in the prostitution sting included John Alexander Grado-Vega, 26, of El Paso, and 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, were also detained for similar crimes.
Ritchie's profile has already been removed from the church's website as they sought to cut ties with the disgraced pastor.
On an archived page from his personal website, Ritchie describes himself as a married father of three boys, with degrees from Amarillo College, West Texas A&M University, and Reformed Theological Seminary.
He is also a part-time instructor of religion at West Texas A&M University.
Ritchie had led a congregation of 1,500 Texans at the Redeemer Christian Church (pictured above) in Amarillo, and in 2021 he published a book arguing that nationalism is 'demonic'
Ritchie's photograph has since been removed from the church website
In his book, 'Why Do the Nations Rage? The Demonic Origin of Nationalism', Ritchie attempts to separate Christianity with American nationalism, which he describes as 'demonic'
Ritchie met his wife on e-Harmony, a dating website, in 2009, and they married one year later.
In his book, 'Why Do the Nations Rage? The Demonic Origin of Nationalism', Ritchie attempts to separate Christianity with American nationalism.
He describes nationalists as Christians who have been 'deceived' or 'possessed' into 'mob violence', as seen during the January 6 insurrection when many protesters wore Christian symbols as they invaded the Senate chamber.
Writing on his personal blog page in 2013, Ritchie wrote about how he takes frequent breaks from preaching in order to 'prevent burnout'.
'I try to take a week or two out of the pulpit every six to seven weeks to catch my breath, as well as give someone else an opportunity to preach,' he said.
The Daily Mail has contacted police and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for more information.
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