Fire in the mountains

1968: After flame-throwing campus debates, God spoke in a low whisper | Russ Pulliam

In the beautiful Berkshire mountains, Williams College in 1968 was physically far removed from the social and political turmoil of cities along the East Coast. But the liberal arts school was a hotbed in the battle for ideas.

The college is tucked away in a valley in the midst of the peaceful hills and mountains of northwestern Massachussetts. Coming from the flat terrain of central Indiana, I loved looking at those mountains—big chunks of earth rising up off the land, covered by trees, waiting to be explored.

Started as a Christian college in the late 1700s, Williams had become a top-tier school academically, with the typical liberal bias of that league. Its Christian origins had long been forgotten.