“Have you taken French Rev.?”
“No, I haven’t. But I was thinking about it. Have you?”
“Yes! And it was awesome. You totally should take it.”
A common conversation among history and non-history majors alike, and perhaps the major reason for the class’s popularity is Mrs. Linda Abrams.
Mrs. Abrams, a member of the history faculty, has taught French Revolution and Napoleon (its formal name) for over 15 years. She exudes her enthusiasm for European history and all things Napoleon to her students on a daily basis.
I ♥ France
“I suspect my love of France and Europe in general stems from the fact that I spent 2 years in France growing up,” said Mrs. Abrams.
“My father was a civilian engineer who was sent over with a group of engineers to coordinate communications systems between the various branches of the U.S. military which were part of a large NATO presence in France.
“I lived in France when I was 5 and 6. My parents sent me to French Catholic school, which seems so weird to me now. But we lived in the country, away from Paris, and there was no other option. I never remember being traumatized by the fact that I didn’t speak French and I was put into a completely French-speaking environment. I remember the experience of living in Europe vividly, and I have all my schoolbooks, etc., to remind me. When I came back to the U.S., I was fluent in French—and France has really consumed my life ever since.
“It is amazing how the Lord orchestrates your life and turns you the way He wants you to go.”
Her classes
- French Revolution and Napoleon
- History of Civilization
- Europe in the 17th and 18th Centuries
- State and Local Government
- Comparative Politics
She is also the faculty advisor for the award-winning South Carolina Student Legislature team from BJU.
Coming to BJU
“I was not sure what I was going to do when I finished grad school (at the University of Maryland), and honestly had never thought about it, which now seems odd,” she said.
“But when I met Carl (husband and member of the history faculty) and he was returning to BJU, and I had a grad degree in European history, it seemed a natural fit. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
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Outside the classroom
While not teaching in school, she and her husband enjoy traveling in Europe, especially France.
For 14 years, the Abrams led the BJU Africa mission team to Kenya and South Africa.
Mrs. Abrams also enjoys cooking and baking (try the Butterfinger cookies), and she is a conservative political contributor for the local newspaper and radio stations in Greenville, S.C., and Charlotte, N.C.
Instilling a perspective that exalts Christ
Ultimately, Mrs. Abrams wants her students to remember this: “The sovereignty of God in all things and the complete sufficiency of Christ in their personal lives.”
She says that her favorite part of the Bible is “the book of Philippians but especially the 3rd chapter. The whole book is filled with the most practical teaching on interpersonal relations and soars above all the difficulties of life to exalt Christ and give us the confidence of the ultimate success of the Gospel. For me, it furnishes perspective for everything I do and everything I teach in my classes.”