Former NFL Quarterback Speaks At Convo

Frank Reich

Former NFL Quarterback Speaks At Erskine On The Biblical View Of Competition

Some know him as one of the best back-up quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, and others know him for his ability to lead dramatic comebacks, but today Frank Reich, a seminary student in Charlotte, N.C., is better known as a competitor in a game with higher stakes than the Super Bowl against an opponent much more frightening than a blitzing linebacker.

“In Christianity, unlike in sports, there are no spectators,” Reich said. “Everyone is a player.

“And there is a battle being waged by two teams, the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. We are all on one of those two teams.”

Reich knows competition, and he was at Erskine College and Seminary Thursday to kick off the 2002-03 Seminary Lecture Series, speaking to Erskine students about the biblical view of competition.

“Where there is a battle being waged, there is competition,” he said. “The object of this competition is global domination. We are trying to expand God’s kingdom, and make the earth like it is in heaven.

“What is amazing is that God would choose you and I in this process.”

Reich proved during his football playing days that no challenge is too difficult for the former Maryland star who played professionally in the USFL and then in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, where he played in a Super Bowl for the injured Jim Kelly. He also played for the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers and the Detroit Lions.

In 1984, down by more than 30 points, he engineered a record-setting comeback in college football. In 1993, he did it again as a professional, and after that dramatic playoff victory over the Houston Oilers, Reich took his faith from the field to the locker room where he gave God the glory for his part in the historic win.

After he retired, Reich said he found it difficult to return to the professional game as a spectator with his three daughters.

“I had this urge to be down on the field,” Reich said. “Many athletes, after they retire, struggle to let go of the game, and they end up having a lot of problems.

“I wondered at that time if I was going to be just another statistic. But I knew that my identity and who I was not all wrapped up in football. My true identity is who I am in Christ.

“So I knew that it wasn’t that I couldn’t let go of the game. I just wanted to be down on the field where the action was. And more than that, I wanted to win.”

And that is his ministry now, taking his competiveness and sharing with others that he believes that aspect of life is natural and biblical.

“Competition is everywhere in our society today,” he said. “It is unavoidable, and I think it is something that we all struggle to understand.

“Sometimes we think competition is evil or that it is an idol, and the church has been relatively silent on the issue,” he said.

“But we need to be prepared as Christian men and women on how we are going to handle competition.”

All people are competitive, Reich said, “Sometimes we suppress it, but we all have it.”
He said some people view competition from the perspective that Darwin did, which is ‘survival of the fittest.’ In other words, you compete to survive, and only the strongest continue on.

“That is why some people think competition is evil, because they view it as survival,” Reich said.

Others look to Genesis, to the fall of man, when humans were left to govern themselves as being the origins of competition, according to Reich.

“Many see that as where we began to exalt ourselves over all others, but I don’t think that is the root of competition, either,” he said.

“If it is, then you would have to consider competition as a ‘necessary evil,’ and to avoid that evil we would all have to withdraw from culture and not engage others.”

In Genesis I, God says that man was created in His own image, and that humans are charged to spread throughout the world and rule over every creature. That, according to Reich, is the true origin of competition.

“This is where we find the origins of our competitive spirit,” he said. “God is not just telling us to make babies and farm the land, he is talking about multiplication and dominion.”

Reich said that means that people naturally try to do their best, whether it be in sports, the arts, politics, or school.

“Sometimes we pervert things, and we try to do well for our own glory and our own desires get in the way,” he said. “There is more to it than doing your best. You have to do your best to the glory of God.

“A lot of people do their best so they can get rich or see their names in the paper,” he said. “But doing our best to the glory of God brings a motivation to the contest that the world does not know.”


		Frank Reich Former NFL Quarterback Speaks At Erskine On The Biblical View Of Competition Some know him as one of the best back-up quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, and others know him for his ability to lead dramatic comebacks, but today Frank Reich, a seminary student in Charlotte, N.C., is better known as a competitor in a game with higher stakes than the Super Bowl against an opponent much more frightening than a blitzing linebacker. “In Christianity, unlike in sports, there are no spectators,” Reich said. “Everyone is a player. “And there is a battle being waged by two teams, the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. We are all on one of those two teams.” Reich knows competition, and he was at Erskine College and Seminary Thursday to kick off the 2002-03 Seminary Lecture Series, speaking to Erskine students about the biblical view of competition. “Where there is a battle being waged, there is competition,” he said. “The object of this competition is global domination. We are trying to expand God’s kingdom, and make the earth like it is in heaven. “What is amazing is that God would choose you and I in this process.” Reich proved during his football playing days that no challenge is too difficult for the former Maryland star who played professionally in the USFL and then in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, where he played in a Super Bowl for the injured Jim Kelly. He also played for the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers and the Detroit Lions. In 1984, down by more than 30 points, he engineered a record-setting comeback in college football. In 1993, he did it again as a professional, and after that dramatic playoff victory over the Houston Oilers, Reich took his faith from the field to the locker room where he gave God the glory for his part in the historic win. After he retired, Reich said he found it difficult to return to the professional game as a spectator with his three daughters. “I had this urge to be down on the field,” Reich said. “Many athletes, after they retire, struggle to let go of the game, and they end up having a lot of problems. “I wondered at that time if I was going to be just another statistic. But I knew that my identity and who I was not all wrapped up in football. My true identity is who I am in Christ. “So I knew that it wasn’t that I couldn’t let go of the game. I just wanted to be down on the field where the action was. And more than that, I wanted to win.” And that is his ministry now, taking his competiveness and sharing with others that he believes that aspect of life is natural and biblical. “Competition is everywhere in our society today,” he said. “It is unavoidable, and I think it is something that we all struggle to understand. “Sometimes we think competition is evil or that it is an idol, and the church has been relatively silent on the issue,” he said. “But we need to be prepared as Christian men and women on how we are going to handle competition.” All people are competitive, Reich said, “Sometimes we suppress it, but we all have it.” He said some people view competition from the perspective that Darwin did, which is ‘survival of the fittest.’ In other words, you compete to survive, and only the strongest continue on. “That is why some people think competition is evil, because they view it as survival,” Reich said. Others look to Genesis, to the fall of man, when humans were left to govern themselves as being the origins of competition, according to Reich. “Many see that as where we began to exalt ourselves over all others, but I don’t think that is the root of competition, either,” he said. “If it is, then you would have to consider competition as a ‘necessary evil,’ and to avoid that evil we would all have to withdraw from culture and not engage others.” In Genesis I, God says that man was created in His own image, and that humans are charged to spread throughout the world and rule over every creature. That, according to Reich, is the true origin of competition. “This is where we find the origins of our competitive spirit,” he said. “God is not just telling us to make babies and farm the land, he is talking about multiplication and dominion.” Reich said that means that people naturally try to do their best, whether it be in sports, the arts, politics, or school. “Sometimes we pervert things, and we try to do well for our own glory and our own desires get in the way,” he said. “There is more to it than doing your best. You have to do your best to the glory of God. “A lot of people do their best so they can get rich or see their names in the paper,” he said. “But doing our best to the glory of God brings a motivation to the contest that the world does not know.”