"Los Angeles, often seen as the bulwark of progressive secular politics, is a place that values immigration, equity, diversity, and perhaps above all human rights. This worldview, Sean Dempsey says, originated with liberal Protestants and other engaged religious organizations in the postwar era, notably from the 1970s onward, even as the Religious Right rose. Progressive religious actors in Los Angeles promoted a global vision of human rights-based ethics that has changed both the city and the world. This "politics of dignity" draws on a number of theological and spiritual strands yet ultimately clarifies the commonalities that underlie a largely successful and humane urban ecosystem"--