Baptist vs Southern Baptist
Baptist and Southern Baptist are two religious groups that show some differences between them, especially when it comes to the acceptance of a few beliefs and faiths. One of the main differences between Baptism and Southern Baptism is that the Southern Baptists are members of Southern Baptist Convention. On the other hand, the Baptists are not so. There are some other differences between the Baptist and Southern Baptist as they are two different conventions of the same church. The Southern Baptists are well known for being conservative and too serious in their beliefs. Let us find out more about Baptist and Southern Baptist.
Who is a Baptist?
The main Baptist belief is that only those who have professed their faith in Christ should be baptized. The Baptist Church governs the individual churches, whereas the Southern Baptist Church does not govern the individual churches. At the same time, the Baptist holds to the autonomy of the local church. They do this through the system of seminaries. The Sunday School Board is one of the most influential boards of the Baptists.
On the other hand, the Baptists believe in a theory known as Sola Scriptura. According to this theory, the Bible is the sole rule of faith. Actually, it is said that the Bible does not teach this dogma. Baptists do believe that the word of God is limited to the Bible. The Baptists teach predestination. Moreover, Baptists look upon communion and all sacraments as symbolic. They do not look upon the communion and all sacraments as actual means of grace, whereas it has been a tradition among the other groups that they are looked upon as the actual means of grace.
Who is a Southern Baptist?
It is interesting to note that Southern Baptist is a denomination or convention of Baptist churches. A Southern Baptist believes in salvation, and he says that salvation can be attained only by the grace of god. They say that salvation can come from the Christ alone. They also believe in the Trinity. They share 27 books of the New Testament.
It is pertinent to note that the Southern Baptists came after a Protestant split from the Church way back in the 1500s. Hence, they belong to a denomination, unlike the Baptists.
On the other hand, the Southern Baptists do not declare that the word of God is limited to the Bible. It is interesting to note that both the Baptists and the Southern Baptists say that adult baptism should be done by immersion. At the same time, while the Baptists do not believe in free will, the Southern Baptists believe in free will. This is one of the main differences between the two religious groups.
Predestination is accepted by both groups but at different levels. In other words, the theory of predestination is not wholeheartedly supported by the Southern Baptists. According to the Southern Baptist, the scriptures are the sole authority. In fact, it can be said that there is no authority beyond the scriptures. The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not accepted by the Southern Baptist. One highly observed fact about the Southern Baptists is that they live exemplary Christian lives. They are said to live with zeal, and they do their best to preach the Gospel in the say they understand it.
What is the difference between Baptist and Southern Baptist?
• Faith in Jesus:
• Baptists do not insist that everyone should accept Christ to be saved.
• Southern Baptists directly say that people should believe in Christ or should face an eternity in Hell.
• Free Will:
• Baptists do not believe in free will.
• Southern Baptists believe in free will.
• Predestination:
• Predestination is accepted by both groups but at different levels.
• In other words, the theory of predestination is not wholeheartedly supported by the Southern Baptists whereas the Baptists teach predestination.
• Ordinance:
• Baptists allow women to be ordained.
• Southern Baptists only allow men to be ordained.
• Opinion towards Homosexuality:
• Baptists are open towards the idea of same sex couples.
• Southern Baptists are strongly against the idea of same sex couples.
• State and Religion:
• Baptists do not demand the religion to have powers separate from the state.
• Southern Baptists demand that the church should be a completely separate entity from the state.
These are the main differences between Baptist and Southern Baptist.
Images Courtesy:
- First Baptist Church 253 Lawrence Street in Methuen, Massachusetts via Wikicommons (Public Domain)
- Chinese Southern Baptist Church by Joe Mabel (CC BY-SA 3.0)
