Chaplain violated Army rule in promoting Christian book

by Tom Vanden Brook

An active-duty Army chaplain with the elite 75th Ranger Regiment has published a book titled “Jesus Was an Airborne Ranger” and appeared in a promotional video in uniform to promote it, raising questions about the service endorsing Christianity as the Pentagon wages wars in Muslim countries.

Chaplain John McDougall recently returned from Afghanistan where he served as chaplain for the 75th Ranger Regiment. He wrote the book, he told the Army in a story published on its website, because “the Jesus of many churches is a weakling — someone our Rangers cannot relate to.”

The video was taken down Thursday by the book’s publisher, said Charlene Guzman, senior publicist for WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. McDougall regrets having appeared in uniform and was not speaking on behalf of the military, she said. He had cleared writing the book with military lawyers but not the video. McDougall, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, could not be reached immediately for comment.

“It’s a regrettable action and we were happy to take it down,” Guzman said.

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