A Virtual Church

Dear Aaron Sorkin

January 2, 2019

Dear Aaron Sorkin, My little letter to you will likely end up in a pile of letters from people all over the country who are begging you to write another series like The Newsroom, or The West Wing, and now even Atticus Finch on Broadway, stories of a flawed protagonist who is out to right the world and fix whatever inner demons that plague them. We all love a protagonist. Recently we have watched both of the shows again, this time with greater appreciation for the prescience of your writing, that was not just a retelling of truth, but almost a prophecy set against what is currently going on in our political discourse, our current events, and our cultural divide, even in the church. How did you know we would need your voice told in the fictional characters what were so believable we wanted them to be real? Morality has been co-opted in cheap talk and high-hatted-ness that separates good from good with the intent of making the other look bad. It’s the playground stuff of choosing sides and tugging ‘till someone falls down. Mr. Sorkin, you have such skill in helping us see ourselves, our foibles and our follies. In broad daylight, our cracks show. There is so much that is not pretty, not fit for prime time. It would be one thing if we were honest with ourselves. Who are we? What do we value? Are justice and righteousness even important to us anymore? Are we willing to risk the kingdom for a passing spotlight? What is the sway of power over our own consciences? Where has entertainment become propaganda and hearts become stone? Mr. Sorkin, it is now 2019. Time for pens to be up and writing – time to write hope and promise and goodness even as the thorns have grown around the castle. Sleeping Beauty awakes, a star rises in the east and wise people follow. New years come and new days begin. This is a new season and hope is never far from us. Help us write a glad story of a strong protagonist who seeks, risks, adapts and finds peace and a place of common good. For the sake of the Kingdom, let it be so.

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