It's something of an understatement to say that the upcoming US election is a little lacking in inspiration. A far cry from the Obama campaign of 2008, and all that talk of 'Hope' and 'Change'; this time it's a race between two candidates that most Christians would probably rather not vote for. That we've even got to the point where the final battle for the White House is Trump vs Clinton is a cause for great sadness, both within and outside the church (and outside the US, for that matter).

In times of political despair, it's natural to reflect on some of history's great leaders, and perhaps also on those created in works of fiction. And so perhaps the greatest President the US never had is Jed Bartlett, The West Wing's brilliant, compassionate, flawed but ultimately glorious POTUS, played by screen legend Martin Sheen. Across seven seasons of the acclaimed US political drama, Sheen lit up the screen with his performance as the MS-suffering statesman, who somehow married the wisdom of Solomon with the quick wits of a 21st-century politician.

Bartlett and the real-life Sheen have something profound in common: a strong Christian faith. And while the fictional President's faith is referred to from time to time in the show, for Sheen it has become the driving force in his life. Here are just a few of the things that Martin Sheen (or Ramon Estevez to his friends) has said about God and his own personal faith.

On how his family faith deserted him...

"Although I was raised in a devout Catholic home, the thought of praying about my family problems never entered my mind. And I wasn't about to go near a church—I had given that up in my mid-20s."

- As told to Guideposts magazine

...and how a brush with death dramatically reconnected him with it

"My face-to-face confrontation with death and my own human vulnerability purged the need to be an empty celluloid image bent on the accumulation of such things as fame or wealth. I had been shocked into recalling something I had known all along but had forgotten: that love is the true foundation of happiness. Love of family, love of people, love of God. In the years since that painful night, Janet, our children and I have grown closer and happier than ever. I have long since returned to my church. I have never forgotten that even though I turned my back on God, in my time of greatest need, he came to find me."

- As told to Guideposts magazine (Sheen had a heart-attack at 36 on the set of Apocalypse Now)

On the 'genius' of Jesus:

"We as Christians believe that the genius of God is in the reality of choosing to be human, choosing to be small and broken.' That's the most powerful thing imaginable."

- From an interview with Premier Christianity magazine

On the yearning for spirituality inside everyone:

"We all yearn for the sacred, we are always looking for a transcendence; some people go about it with drugs or alcohol or sex or power or ego, whatever, and when they prove not satisfying and we come to our senses, we begin to realise that there's another costly journey. It has to cost you something; if something worthwhile doesn't cost you something, you are left to question its worth. And so I decided to go on that journey and, you know, I'm still at it."

- From an interview with the Irish Times

On how knowing the love of God drives him to help others:

"When you come to that understanding that you are loved, everything changes. Because then you realise that every other human being on the face of the earth is yearning for that knowledge as well. And you see it in them, or you see the absence of love in them. You see it in people who don't believe they are loved, or don't know they are loved, or have not embraced their brokenness, their darkness – they're still living in the shadow self. When you see the light, and it's so clear, so obvious, you see someone who knows they are loved and they reflect love in return. Those that are broken, heal, and heal others. That's the journey of love."

- From an interview with Premier Christianity magazine

On a potential God-inspired renaissance in the American family:

"People are beginning to focus on, well, what is really important. Families are starting to come together, starting to eat together. They're not on the run all the time. There's nowhere to run now. They're forced to relate to one another; and they're finding value in things that they'd overlooked because of this mass media and the hustle and bustle and anxiety of modern life. It's taken its toll. And maybe there's something going on, spiritually, that we had not anticipated. God works in very, very mysterious ways. Maybe something's going on that is going to cause a rising in people that is going to be grace-filled for all of us."

- from an interview with Christian network CBN.

On the importance of church and Christian activism:

"Piety is something you do alone. True freedom, spirituality, can only be achieved in community."

- From an interview with Krista Tippett for On Being

On prayer and knowing God:

"One of the great things about prayer is the invitation, and how scary it is to know God. Because we don't really want to. We have to let go of a lot of fear and anxiety and trust. We want to organise our 'God'. We want to control our 'God' and that makes God very small in our image. The mystery of God is so profound and so overwhelming that it takes a great measure of courage to really surrender to that sacredness, to accept the reality that you are loved."

- From an interview with Premier Christianity magazine

On Pope Francis

"I love him and I pray he'll last another 50 years!"

- From an interview for the National Catholic Reporter

Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.