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Why do Oneness Pentecostal churches baptize in the name of Jesus?

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Pentecostalism Prayer service at Abundant Life United Pentecostal Church, in Moore, Oklahoma.

Oneness Pentecostal churches, often referred to as the "Jesus Only" movement, baptize in the name of Jesus based on their interpretation of specific passages in the Acts of the Apostles, particularly Acts 2:38, where the Apostle Peter instructs believers to be baptized "in the name of Jesus Christ."12

This practice emerged in 1913 when R.E. McAlister taught that water baptism in the early church was performed in the name of Jesus Christ alone, rather than using the traditional Trinitarian formula ("in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit") found in the Gospel According to Matthew 28:19.12

Adherents of this theology reject the traditional doctrine of the Trinity, asserting instead that Jesus is the one person in the Godhead. Consequently, groups such as the United Pentecostal Church International and the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. maintain this baptismal practice as a core tenet of their faith, distinguishing them from Trinitarian Pentecostals and most other mainstream Christian denominations.13