It is said that Jesus name baptism and the Oneness view of God and Christ came about as a result of R E McAlister's baptismal message on
Acts 2:38 at the Arroyo Seco camp meeting in 1913. Here's the "official" and well-known report:
n April, 1913, at a "worldwide" Pentecostal camp meeting being conducted at Arroyo Seco, near Los Angeles, a new "revelation" (not an uncommon thing in those days) received considerable emphasis. The main speaker at the camp meeting was Mrs. Mary Woodworth-Etter, but the speaker who unwittingly triggered the eruption was R.E. McAlister. At a baptismal service held near the main camp meeting tent, Brother McAlister casually observed that "the apostles invariably baptized their converts once in the name of Jesus Christ," and that the words Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were never used in Christian baptism." When they heard this, "a shudder swept the preachers on the platform," one preacher even stepping over to whisper to Brother McAlister to refrain from emphasizing that doctrine or it would "associate the camp with a Dr. Sykes who so baptized."
(end of quote -
http://www.apostolicarchives.com/art...236/172422.htm )
Folks began pondering the significance, suddenly John Sheppe/Shaefe ran through the camp with "the revelation". The " new revelation spread" and soon became the "new issue". From this, many concluded the trinity was wrong, and Jesus Christ was the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit.
According to the officially touted history, SOME of those Oneness people years later came up with an insistence that not only was proper baptism to be done in Jesus name, but that it was the only valid water baptism, and further that the Pentecostal baptism with the Spirit WAS regeneration, that without the experience a person had not been born again and/or was not saved.
It is further claimed that these two batches of Oneness believers continued somewhat in parallel until they merged in the 40s into the UPC. It is claimed that many held the original view - that one is saved at repentance, OUGHT to be baptized in Jesus name, and OUGHT to receive the baptism in the Spirit. The " others" insisted on Jesus name baptism and Spirit baptism as essential for salvation. These people supposedly taught a person had not received the indwelling of the Spirit unless and until they got the Spirit baptism. It is claimed the "regular" view was that one was saved at repentance and the Spirit was received by and indwelled the believer at that point, with the Pentecostal experience being a later, secondary experience.
In short, the generally purported belief is that the Oneness of God and new birth of water and Spirit was a
post Arroyo Seco development, AFTER 1913. The so-called "one step" or "PCI" view is claimed to be the normal original position of the early Jesus name Pentecostals. In other words, they held THE SAME VIEW as their trinitarian fellows except in regards to the subjecs of Oneness and the baptismal formula.
This is incorrect.
The following information comes from the May, 1912 edition of William Durham's "Pentecostal Testimony" newsletter. This is ONE YEAR BEFORE the infamous "new issue". I will post relevant portions in the next post.
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