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Authors

Allan W. Freed

First Page

80

Last Page

91

Abstract

'Leadership always occurs in the context of cultural mindsets and expectations. this article describes the work of arthur W. Spalding, who was the first family-life educator in the adventist church. Spalding was born into an era described as a “watershed” in domesticity. With the opening of the american frontier in the mid-1800s came the shift from family to individualism. Urbanization, industrialization, expanded travel, and communications eroded the social and material conditions that supported the traditional patriarchal family system. the american experience glamorized consumption, gratification, and pleasure. the fad was to reject traditional authority, particularly that of the clergy and the marriage system. ... With the radical transformation of practically every phase of life after the turn of the century, it became clear to some that something must be done to maintain the social, spiritual, and moral health of the family."

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