An Army Chaplain broke military rules by promoting his book while wearing his uniform. Image via Penguin Random House.

“We’ve kind of created a Jesus who is nice and friendly and warm. And we told men to pattern their lives after that Jesus. When in reality I can’t find that Jesus in scripture. Yet there are moments when he’s gentle. There are also moments when he’s ferocious. I want to recapture that aspect that has been lost. I think that’s what this book is intended to do.”

That was the message that Army Chaplain John McDougall was delivering when he violated military rules by promoting his new book while wearing his Army uniform. Active-duty and recently returned from Afghanistan, McDougall is not a fan of “the Sunday School image of a pacifist preacher” or the popular image of Jesus as a “weakling,” and was moved to write Jesus Was an Airborne Ranger to counter the widespread wussification of Jesus.

Get ready to see Jesus like you’ve never seen him before—a battle-scarred Combatant who stared death in the face and won. This is no Sunday-school Jesus, meek and mild. This is the Warrior Christ who has descended from the heavens, defeated the Enemy, and rescued humanity. Now, he calls us to continue his mission and fight for others—our families, our communities, and the world.

In Jesus Was an Airborne Ranger, Army Chaplain John McDougall offers an alternative to the soft, gentle caricature of Jesus. Only the Warrior Christ can impact our broken world. And only in following him can you find the life of purpose you’ve always wanted.

SUIT UP. It’s time to enter the fight with the first and greatest Airborne Ranger.

To be clear, McDougall publishing the book was absolutely fine and in compliance with Army rules, and even contained an official disclaimer at the end. But when he filmed a promotional video, in uniform and without a disclaimer, it was a pretty clear violation. Per USA Today:

The video had no disclaimer. With theatrical piano and string music, it features sharp cut-away views of McDougall’s Army uniform, focusing on his U.S. Army patch, his 75thRanger Regiment tab and the American flag, signifying his deployment to war zones.

McDougall’s appearance in uniform endorsing a commercial or political venture violates military rules, said Tatjana Christian, an Army spokeswoman.

After they were contacted about the video by USA TODAY, the Army reached out to McDougall’s commanders to inform them about the rule, Christian said.

His comments were not part of his official duty, she said.

“Chaplains are authorized to offer messages endorsing Christianity while in uniform as part of their official faith group religious support duties,” Christian said. “This video was not a part of those official duties.”

The video has since been taken down. But not everyone thinks the story should end there. The paper spoke to Mikey Weinstein, head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, who believes that the violation wasn’t just a technicality, but a “propoganda coup for Islamic State militants and other religious zealots.”

ISIS will use the video to convince followers that the United States is waging a Christian war against Muslims, he said.

“This is propaganda of unparalleled proportions for ISIS,” Weinstein said. “This message is going to kill Americans and kill innocents.”