Description: In 1948, joining the wave of post-World War II evangelical missionary activism, the small, nondenominational Church of Christ from Lubbock, Texas, decided to establish its own mission in Italy. The missionaries believed that by promoting religious freedom, they would help spread democracy and American values. But they were also motivated by fervent anti-Catholicism and a conviction that they could challenge the Vatican's near monopoly on religion in Italy. Their zeal and naivety were met with a harsh response from the Catholic Church and its allies within the Italian government. At the same time, the omnipresent Cold War soon forced all the actors involved to adapt their strategies and rhetoric to leverage the situation to their advantage.
Brief description: Mario Del Pero offers a compelling lens on this long-overlooked story through which to explore the early history of the Cold War and the complex dynamics between geopolitical alignments, ideological integration, and national sovereignty. Mario Del Pero is Professor of International History at SciencesPo in Paris. He is a regular commentator on US and international politics for various media outlets and the author, most recently, of the award-winning book Era Obama. Dalla speranza del cambiamento all'elezione di Trump (It was Obama: from the hope for change to the election of Trump).
Review Quotes: 'Del Pero significantly enhances our understanding of debates evolving around religious freedom and Catholic power; communism and Italy's democratic future; and local politics and American influence in early Cold War Italy. Beautifully crafted, this book makes an important contribution to the histories of the spiritual Cold War, transnational work on US evangelicalism, and US-Italian relations.' Uta Balbier, author of Altar Call in Europe: Billy Graham, Mass Evangelism, and the Cold-War West