What Is the Difference Between Baptist and Southern Baptist?
Baptist refers to a group of Christian denominations that all share the belief that baptism should be performed through full immersion and only for believers rather than for infants; Southern Baptist is a specific branch of Baptists that came about because of a split in the 1800s regarding the issues of missionary work and slavery. Southern Baptists are known for being conservative, and the branch is one of the largest Baptist groups in the United States, along with the American Baptists.
Southern Baptists hold many beliefs that are common among all types of Baptists. They believe that God inspired the men who wrote the Bible, and they believe in the trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They believe that all people are born as sinners in need of salvation, which has been made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. They also support evangelism and missionary work, and they follow the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptist groups in general do vary in some areas, such as in their beliefs about the end times, the ordination of women, speaking in tongues, separation from the world and which version of the Bible to use. The Southern Baptists limit ordination to men, believe in the separation of church and state and believe that Jesus will come again to resurrect the dead.
