The book, "American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon," written by Boston University professor, Stephen Prothero, explores how Jesus has become a marketing department's dream in selling books, music, movies, political campaigns – and even a theme park.

"There's an element of the celebrity in Jesus that puts him alongside Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, looking for face time on NBC," says Prothero. His interest is in how incredibly visible Jesus has become in America, his face appearing on billboards, bumper stickers, album covers and even in political campaigns.

"We have a common conversation about Jesus, and we don't have that about that many things in America anymore. And it's not totally dominated by Christians: Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims are having a say in it, as are people who aren't religious."

The release of Mel Gibson's new film, "The Passion of the Christ", is the latest example of Jesus' celebrity status in America. The controversy surrounding the movie, with Jewish and Christian groups fearing it will stir up anti-semitism, shows how the life of Jesus has the power to move people and disrupt chat show agendas.

Other examples of Jesus as a celebrity cited by Prothero include the "Left Behind" Christian novels, which have sold more that 30 million copies, "Jesus the hot air balloon", which regularly flies over northern California, and the public claims to faith in Jesus made by American politicians.

In the year 2000, President George Bush, then governor of Texas, urged all Texans to observe 10 June each year as "Jesus Day", and to "follow Christ's example by performing good works in your communities and neighborhoods."

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