Greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time

On the Access Viking website this morning, Mark Craig of the Strib looks at the top 10 Quarterbacks of All-Time. The link is here. A Daily News reporter's list of the top NFL QB's is as follows:

1. Joe Montana (4 Super Bowl wins – San Francisco, played with Jerry Rice and a young Terrell Owens as his receivers, and a great back in Roger Craig);
   
2. Tom Brady (3 Super Bowl wins – going for his 4^th SB victory this year);
   
3. Johnny Unitas (1 Super Bowl win);
   
4. Dan Marino (1 Super Bowl win with some great receivers in the Mark's Brothers - Mark Duper and Mark Clayton);
   
5. John Elway (2 Super Bowl wins);
   
6. Peyton Manning (1 Super Bowl win);
   
7. Troy Aikman (3 Super Bowl wins with Michael Irvin as his main receiver and a great running back in Emmitt Smith);
   
8. Brett Favre (1 Super Bowl win);
   
9. Terry Bradshaw (4 Super Bowl wins, Lynn Swan and John Stallworth as his main receivers, and an offence including Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier);
   
10. Otto Graham – (token old-timer?)
    

First, let me comment about 2 graet quarterbacks left off the list: where is Bart Starr? He won 2 Super Bowls (the first 2), as well as three league championships before they had Super Bowls. He has to be on the top 10 list. I also think Steve Young (1 Super Bowl win as a starter), should be on the list. He changed the quarterback position in the NFL, by having a great arm as well as the ability to effectively run the ball as a big part of the offense (all due respect to the Viking's Fran Tarkenton, but his scrambling wasn't a big part of the offense).

Having watched all of these guys play (except Otto Graham), here's my take on the list. Troy Aikman and Terry Bradshaw don't belong on the list. Yes, they won Super Bowls but they weren't great quarterbacks. They didn't have great percentages of completions, and the running backs they had were the larger part of why they won. So they'd be out of my list.

Tom Brady is better than Joe Montana. Period. No doubt. Look at what he's done this year, with back up wide receivers like Deion Branch, he led his team to the best record in the NFL this year. And he had no good running backs. And a defense without many big names. This was Tom Brady's show this year. It was all him. Yes, Montana had some great teams in San Francisco. But do you remember his two years in Kansas City? While Joe Montana played for Kansas City with a normal offense, he was mediocre. What did Montana do when the offense was focused on him? Not much, and his quarterback rating during those 2 years was 87 or less. Nope, Brady has done more with less talent around him than Montana did.

And although he's a Packer, Brett Favre belongs ahead of Peyton Manning, John Elway, Johnny Unitas, and certainly Troy Aikman. I put him at number 3 all-time. All of the QB records he has have to mean something.

That's my take. Feel free to share your thoughts about this list or my comments. Have a happy Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. /s/Tom Wolff

Something weird's going on here. Check out these stories:

 

1. Apocalfish? 2 million dead fish wash on shore in Maryland. (Link here.) Also, reports in Arkansas of thousands of fish deaths in the Arkansas River.
   

   
    

2. "Aflockalypse?" Mass bird deaths rare, not apocalyptic. (Link here.) Mass deaths in Oslo, Louisiana, and the Arkansas River,
   

   
    

3. 39% of NYC Pregnancies Result in Abortion. (Story here.) In 2009, there were 225,667 pregnancies in the City with 126,774 resulting in live births and 87,273 resulting in abortions. In addition to those abortion numbers, there were 11,620 spontaneous terminations. Forty-six (46%) percent of all births in the Bronx result in abortions—the highest among the five boroughs, according to the report.
   

   
    

4. End of Days Coming May 21^st – (Story here.) Harold Camping has a radio program in California, which is where I believe the report is coming from. It sure is getting a lot of press. Here is a part of the story:
   

   Camping, 89, believes the Bible essentially functions as a cosmic calendar explaining exactly when various prophecies will be fulfilled. The retired civil engineer said all his calculations come from close readings of the Bible, but that external events like the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948 are signs confirming the date. "Beyond the shadow of a doubt, May 21 will be the date of the Rapture and the day of judgment," he said…
   

 

 

Christian Heresy – the Donatists

Happy New Year to everyone. Recently, I am enjoying a good book by Rose Publishing called 'Christian History Made Easy'. And one of the topics it deals with is how the early Church has dealt with controversies and even (gasp) heresies. And so, today's post is on one of the major early heresies dealing with the Donatists (DAW-na-tists).

First, let me explain the importance of this issue through a real-life example – FACT EXAMPLE 1 – Suppose there was a strong believer, a natural leader, who makes a real, heartfelt commitment to the Lord. No one doubts his commitment to Jesus and his fellow believers. But he slips. When the going gets tough, he denies Jesus several times to others. The question raised by his denial is this – should this person be allowed back into Christian leadership?

Now back to the heresy of the Donatists. Imagine, if you will, the party that took place in the Rome as it celebrated its thousandth year birthday. This is what took place in AD 247. Roman orgies are still famous to this day, and so I know that I do not want to go into the details of what took place at Rome's 1,000 year birthday. But because the Roman pagan gods were part of the celebration, the early Christians did not take part in the Roman celebration. No problem, right? Yes, until a major plague broke out in Rome right after the 1,000 year celebration. And guess who got blamed? You got it – the Christians were blamed by the Romans for not taking part in the celebration. The plague was punishment of the gods. Emperor Decius (DEE-see-us) launched an empire wide persecution against the Christians. The Emperor required people to sacrifice to the Roman gods. If people were willing to sacrifice to the Roman gods, they received Sacrifice Certificates. Without the Certificates, people were imprisoned and tortured.

An actual Sacrifice Certificate, AD 251: "To: the Sacrifice Commission

From Diogenes, aged 72 years, with a scar over my right eyebrow.

I've always sacrificed to the gods. Now, in obedience to the emperor, I've sacrificed again, poured out a drink offering, and eaten meat offered to the gods. Please certify this below.

I, Syrus, saw Diogenes and his son sacrificing." (paraphrased from Harvard Theological Review 16 (1923), as quoted from 'Christian History Made Easy', 35).

Many prominent bishops of the Church, including Origen, were imprisoned and died during these persecutions, for failing to sacrifice to the pagan gods, or for not having the required Certificates. The persecutions continued until Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, AD, 313. But here is what caused a schism in the early Church – what should the Church do with the priests, bishops and elders who forged false Certificates? Or what should be done with those like Bishop Felix who turned over copies of the Scriptures to Roman authorities? A Bishop named Cyprian of Carthage ruled that those Christians who obtained forged Certificates could be re-admitted if these people showed outward signs of repentance, through prayer and fasting. But this caused the schism with the Donatists who believed that those who complied with the Romans were 'false converts', and should not be re-admitted to the Church. The issue came to a head in AD, 311 when Felix (who turned over the Scriptures to the Romans) with two other Bishops consecrated a successor Bishop in Carthage – Caecilian. And the Donatists refused to recognize Caecilian's ordination to Bishop because of Felix's previous failings. The Donatists, being more strict believers, considered martyrdom rather than cooperation as the only proper response for a true Christian leader. So what should be done with sacraments performed by "lapsed" priests or Bishops (like Felix's consecration of a successor Bishop)?

Through this, the Church developed the sacrament of the sacraments of confession and penance, enabling those who had committed serious sins after baptism to receive absolution and enter into full communion. At the same time, it established the principle that even sinful priests could dispense valid sacraments. The Donatists eventually died out. But was the right decision made? Several places in the New Testament describe the qualities a Christian leader (or elder) should have. If you want to see an example of what traits are needed when selecting an elder/Pastor, see Titus 1:5-9. And it is safe to say that lacking faith in persecution is not what we want in our leaders. But should repentant leaders who made a serious mistake be allowed back as leaders? This leads me back to how I started this Post, with FACT EXAMPLE 1 (above). Of course, this describes the Apostle Peter, the first leader of the early Church. To me, a strong understanding of the importance of God's Grace in a Church leader, is the most important trait to have. If we expect perfection in our leaders to be perfect, we will be disappointed. But as long as the leaders are wrestling with sin, not wanting it in their lives, then their mistakes should be expected and their heart-felt repentance accepted. So I say, yes the right decision was made in accepting back the repentant "lapsed" priests and Bishops.

I think Luther hits a homerun with his description of the Christian life as "simultaneously saint and sinner". I believe there is a greater danger of the leader who leans toward self-righteousness and pride, more so than a leader who has humility with a teachable heart, who understands their daily need of a Savior. But yes, the Church scandals of failed leaders gives all in the Church a black-eye,. My hope is that we be more accepting of imperfections in our Church leaders, and pray for their (and our) continued growth in the faith and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you have any thoughts on this, please share them. Have a great New Year! /s/Tom Wolff