The Church's Advertising Network (CAN) which is running the campaign says that it wants to make people think about Christianity and ask questions about Jesus.

Reverend Tom Ambrose, of CAN and a vicar in the diocese of Ely near Cambridge said the campaign was designed to challenge the Sunday school image of a Christ as, ``the kind of nerdy figure with blond hair, a meek, mild wimp in a white nightie.'' He said ``We want people to realise that Jesus was a real, passionate and caring person. He was not ineffectual and was crucified exactly because he was revolutionary.''

In the CAN poster Che's beret with its five-pronged star is replaced with a crown of thorns, his sparse moustache with a fuller one and it bears the slogan ``Meek Mild As If: Discover the Real Jesus,Church, April 4''. But that apart the Black on red poster, has an unmistakable similarity to Alberto Korda's famous photograph which was adopted first as the image of rebellion by young people everywhere and has now become the most lasting piece of revolutionary merchandise gracing T-shirts, record covers, and generating replica berets which continue to be a sought after fashion accessory.

Chas Bayfield of the agency HHCL, and a member of Christians in the Media, who dreamt up the campaign said he was happy with his efforts. He listed the parallels between Jesus and Che Guevara: ``They were young. They were idealist. They were angry. They wanted change for the better. They died for what they believed in'' adding, ``Jesus has the edge in that his revolution did not die.''

``The poster has already provoked the ire of traditionalists with Henry Greenway a former Conservative MP and sponsor of the Conservative Christian Fellowship calling it `grossly sacrilegious'. Greenway demanded that those responsible forthe poster ``should be excommunicated.'' Another Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe commented: ``As far as this poster goes, we should be modelling ourselves on Christ, not modelling Christ on us.''

The Catholic Church in Britain which had little to do with the poster campaign said the use of Che was confusing. Kieran Conry of the Catholic Media Office said: ``the Posters Fail to mention Easter, so people might think April 4 is Guevara's birthday.'' The Anglican Bishop of At Albans near London, Rt Rev Christopher Herbert said ``As If'' was a pop group. He also thought the image was `very Sixties' and might no appeal to today's young.

The Rev Peter Owen-Jones, a priest who once worked in advertising, said the image had a lasting appeal: ``We are exploiting the image of revolution, not the image of Che Guevara.'' But, CAN accepts that there are other potential problems with the campaign. Rev Ambrose said: ``There is a danger that people will see the poster and expect something radical from their local church,which might not be what they will actually get,'' he said.

``We cannot control the product. Christianity is not a tin of beans.''

Peter Youngman, from the United Christian Broadcasters, insisted however, that Jesus was revolutionary and the church is radical. He said `Jesus' was a revolutionary, but in the way that he asked difficult questions and was totally unexpected in his reactions. To love your enemies and turn the other cheek is far more radical than to go round killing people. The sentimental imagery of Jesus seems to give the idea that churchgoing is passive. But in reality there is a quiet revolution going on in churches, as last year's march against world debt showed.