David A. Ritchie

David A. Ritchie is the senior pastor at Redeemer Christian Church in Amarillo and is an instructor in Religion at West Texas A&M University. He brings a wealth of knowledge and academic rigor to this study in the false doctrine of nationalism. Your humble reviewer is not a theologian, but I assume that the Reverend Ritchie knows whereof he speaks in his biblical analysis of the origin of nationalism.

Ritchie argues that nationalism is a form of religion in which the nation-state is invested with divine authority in the belief system of its proponents. As a minister of the Christian faith, he is troubled by the concept of "Christian nationalism", for he recognizes only Christ as the Redeemer. To worship the flag or other symbols of the nation as if they were emblems of God is idolatry in Ritchie's view.

He believes that nationalism is demonic in origin. He apparently does not mean that patriotism is an evil doctrine, for it is possible to love one's country without worshipping it. He condemns the nationalism that equates the nation with divine favor or holy exceptionalism.

Nations are created by men and men are fallible and sinful. A nation is capable of good, and it is natural to think favorably of one's own country, but no nation can replace Christ as Savior. The tragic events of January 6, 2021, revealed the great extent to which the perverse power of partisanship and evangelical nationalism had laid claim to Christians of conservative political ideology in the United States. Ritchie prays for a return to Christ in American Christianity, a faith based on faith, not the false idols of identity politics.… (más)

Why Do the Nations Rage? is a book that I knew would be challenging to process, simply because my impression is that for some Christians, patriotism and faith can seemingly go hand in hand. David A. Ritchie unpacks the semantics around patriotism and nationalism to reveal how nationalism takes a further step than patriotism to become its own religion, supplanting Christ under the guise of "Christian nationalism." This rich volume is broken up into several sections, starting with the problems that Christians face when nationalism seeps into the church, followed by a biblical and theological analysis of what nationalism and the concept of "nations" looked like in Old Testament and New Testament times. The book ends with a look at the Christology of nationalism and what Christians and churches can do today to combat the hidden darkness that pervades the doctrine of nationalism.

I confess that it is easy to look at examples where Christians conflate their nationality or citizenship with their worship of God and to distance myself from it. What this book does is that it takes an examination of nationalism one step further to examine the powers behind them and why it is that we can be susceptible to this form of syncretism. In the end, it is not difficult for any Christian of any nationality to fall victim to the ideology that the nation is our sole or primary ruler. Canadians are by no means exempt, and this book outlines some of the hazards of succumbing to nationalism, such as the alienation of those whom we do not view as belonging to "our nation" alongside entrenched polarization of political ideologies. Ritchie's warning for Christian pastors and leaders is a clarion call that churches should not idly sit by while nationalism destroys the Gospel and uses it for its own means. The Christian witness is at stake, even if we think we can distance ourselves. This book's central claim is that, "Nationalism is not only a form of idolatry; it is also a demonically fueled false gospel that stands in opposition to Christ and his church." Since darkness can have nothing to do with light, this book is an urgent appeal for Christians to separate themselves from the notion that salvation can result from any political system or national power. Ultimately, it is God's kingdom alone that we must seek. This biblically grounded book brings to light the spiritual reality behind the powers and principalities of this world and is a must-read for Christians who are interested in the topic of church and state.… (más)

A copy of this book was provided to the reviewer for the purposes of this book.

"Why Do The Nations Rage?" is a biblical-theological critique of the broad phenomenon of nationalism and its spiritual foundations. Not what I expected (I was anticipating a more-political science-based discussion), however, since the author is a pastor - the approach is understandable. A significant portion of the book is focused on the author's interpretations of Christian scripture and the position of "nationalism" as a completing religion to Christianity. Points are made regarding "patriotism" vs "nationalism", however, insufficiently explored in my opinion. Only in one small section in Part V addresses the reality of living in a modern political system. I would be interested in seeing a similar analysis of how other religions (none being the true religion of Pastor Ritchie) view nationalism and whether or not their preachers and religious leaders also view it as a "threat" (of demonic origins). As a religious tract, this may be an interesting read for some folks, but it is not high on my recommendation list.… (más)

"Why Do the Nations Rage?" is an interesting book that posits a liberal opposition to "nationalism" via a biblical exegesis from a fundamentalist viewpoint.

What must be understood from the onset is that what the author distinguishes from nationalism as patriotism - is often what others would include within the common use of the term nationalism.

The preface centers the book in the immediate aftermath of the January 6th events and provides an interpretation of said events that is quite different from normal political causes and explanations.

Very briefly, it posits an objective spiritual reality above and beyond earthly politics. Furthermore, it posits - via an interpretation of Pauline Epistles - a respective demonic influence over individual nations. In layman's terms it might be called "The Devil made me do it" line of reasoning.

The author starts with the story of Babel from Genesis, he then moves onto the Psalms, and then later to the Apostle Paul to support his thesis of nationalism as a form of idol worship; often at the behest of an overt demonic influence.

After providing biblical examples and interpretation the author moves onto the current day Christian and the rise of Nationalism. Here he posits that a Christian has final citizenship in heaven, therefore, since all nations are temporary, ultimate allegiance belongs only to Christ.

He then posits that all pastors have a duty to preach this heavenly reality, especially in opposition to a view of the nation that posits it as the ultimate good.

My two caveats would be 1.) A definition of Nationalism that posits it as the State above all, which is more akin to Fascism than how a lot of people would view Nationalism, what the author briefly refers to as Patriotism. 2.) A lack of clarification of what exactly the relationship of the Christian is supposed to be in relation to the State.… (más)