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God, of course, offers no reply to Josiah Bartlet—at least none that viewers detect. So far so good. What will happen next remains a mystery until The West Wing's fall season begins on September 19, though we should hardly expect to witness anything like a lightning strike. But Sorkin does leave hope for a deepening of the story line. The West Wing has been at its best on the rare occasion when it has allowed its characters (and its overall narrative) to enter the mysterious, deep waters of true moral, philosophical, and religious encounter—for to go there is to begin to approach the heart of what it means to be human. More often, though, the show tends to satisfy itself with a sentimentality that only reinforces our collective tendency toward barren, self-congratulating sincerity.

Which route will Sorkin take with Bartlet? One can only hope he'll choose the deeper path. Perhaps he'll even see fit to remind Bartlet of a few things the character no doubt learned in seminary: that the curse is still in effect, that the law is too, and that salvation belongs to the Lord—not to any political party. Even The West Wing is east of Eden.

Eric Miller is assistant professor of American history at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

Copyright © 2001 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

The official Warner Bros. Site for West Wing has episode guides, cast lists, and more. The NBC official site has much the same.

Sorkin wrote a special episode, "Isaac and Ishmael" that aired Oct. 3. It dealt specifically with the recent terrorist attacks and Islamic extremists. Here's what some critics had to say.

For more articles and commentary on West Wing, see Yahoo full coverage.

On Beliefnet.com, David Waters said the season finale treated "people of faith like beings with both brains and souls."

PBS Online NewsHour has an interview with Aaron Sorkin on the line between fantasy and reality.

See Internet Movie Database for full credits the cast. Sorkin also created Sports Night and wrote the film The American President.

See Christianity Today for more on television and Christianity.

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October 1 2001, Vol. 45, No. 12