How did R.E. McAlister contribute to the Jesus Only movement?

R.E. McAlister was a foundational figure in the emergence of the Jesus Only movement within Pentecostalism. In 1913, he challenged the prevailing consensus theology by teaching that water baptism in the early church was performed exclusively in the name of Jesus Christ, rather than using the traditional Trinitarian formula of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.12

McAlister based this teaching on the baptismal formula found in the Acts of the Apostles (2:38), contrasting it with the formula recorded in the Gospel According to Matthew. His instruction, combined with the emotional testimony of other participants at a 1913 California camp meeting, sparked the movement. This development ultimately led to a non-Trinitarian theology that asserts Jesus is the sole person in the Godhead, causing a significant theological rift that split Pentecostals and resulted in the formation of new denominations, such as the United Pentecostal Church International.12