What is the difference in southern baptist and independent?

Answer 1

Southern Baptist is a denomination or organization of Baptists while Independent Baptist is a category of Baptist.

Baptist churches are autonymous. By this, each baptist church is self-governing. In this sense all Baptist Churches are "independent."

However, many Baptist churches choose to associate together in denominational groups. Southern Baptist Convention would be one such "denomination."

Other Baptist churches may affiliate with other Baptist churches on some level but still call themselves "Independent."

Other Baptist churches have no real affiliation and would also, understandably, call themselves as "Independent."

While Independent Baptists, statistically speaking, may tend to be more theologically conservative than the average Baptist church, the actual beliefs of any Baptist church is really the decision of the individual church, so there is a limit to what extent one can know a Baptist Church by its label.

Answer 2

"Southern Baptist" is a denomination or convention of Baptist churches. Baptist churches who choose to fellowship as members of the Southern Baptist Convention, would describe themselves as Southern Baptist.

A Baptist church that chooses to describe itself as "Independent Baptist" chooses not to consider itself as a formal member of a Baptist denomination. However, they may choose to "fellowship with" or "associate with" a denomination, association, or convention of Baptist churches.

Answer 3

Each of these groups have distinct organizatonal differences.

a. Southern Baptist is a denomination. This is the largest single Baptist denomination in the world.

b. Independent Baptist is not a denomination, but includes churches that, although they may form fellowships or associations, do not consider themselves to be part of a formal convention or denomination.

c. Primitive Baptist describes a theological understanding. Churches with this designation may form associations and correspond with each other, but they do no form conventions or describe themselves as a denomination (or denominations). In this sense a Primitive Baptist could be called "independent".

Some other differences. Primitive Baptists follow a fairly radical understanding of the autonomy of the local church as well as a strict form of Calvinism. This leads them to reject many characteristics of groups such as seminaries, mission organizations, and formal governing bodies.

Southern Baptists vary from strongly Calvinistic to strongly anti-Calvinistic. They tend to be strongly involved in missions, and support many seminaries throughout the world. However, like most Baptists, they denominational (or convention) structure and power is weak compared to many non-Baptist denominations (since they place a lot of emphasis on the autonomy of the local church).

Independent Baptists vary too much, since they are defined by their lack of formal organization or agreed upon doctrines. Commonly, Baptist churches that would emphasize their Independent status would be theologically conservative and might describe themselves as Fundamentalist. It, however, is probably best not assume that this is universal.

Answer 4

Ellen G. White "profitess",Saturday "Sabbath"and the" investigative judgement" for the Adventist.