To weigh in on the other side, let me say that sentimentalists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries called themselves realists, and most were also Christians. This was the tradition out of which Howells's work sprang. See my _Sentimental Twain_. Similarly, Europeans often blended Christianity with realism. Consider Tolstoy. In fact, Hal, you may find more of what you seek from a comparativist perspective. At any rate, American fundamentalism is far from the only brand of Xtianity. While Our puritans hated the Book of James because it is too "worldly," much of the world's Xtian tradition accepts the idea that faith without works is a dead faith and that Xtians needed to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. Such a creed demands paying close attention to the world. Look at Conn Yankee for Twain's sense that priests who actually pay attention to the needs of the people are the true servants of Christianity. Gregg