I am no Christian, never have been. But even a God-denier can’t alter history. Though some of us tend to focus on the ugly aspects of religion (and there are plenty), it would be difficult not to concede that liberty, tolerance, basic rights of women, education, free inquiry, free speech and freedom of religion thrive in predominantly Christian nations.

And you don’t have to look past the most recent homegrown radicals — Nidal Malik Hasan, Faisal Shahzad or Najibullah Zazi, to name three — who were, in some part, educated or radicalized in the United States to understand that Christians should not shy away from engaging in the battle of faiths and ideas. And secularists have no reason to be offended by the thought of it.

Thankfully, on Thursday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the evangelicals and overturned a lower court ruling allowing the Christians to distribute their propaganda on the festival’s perimeter if they choose. And choice is the key.