Liam Goligher Resigns from Tenth Presbyterian Church Amid Affair Allegations
Senior Minister Liam Goligher of Tenth Presbyterian Church has resigned from his position at the 1600-member PCA Church in Philadelphia, PA. The move comes shortly after allegations of adultery arose, according to a report from Anglican Watch.
On Thursday morning, Goligher shared his preaching plans for the Advent season on the church’s Facebook page. By Friday evening, he was gone. Goligher, who could frequently be seen speaking at reformed conferences and listed as a contributor to the Gospel Coalition, is no longer listed on Tenth Presbyterian Church’s staff member page.
He is also no longer listed as a faculty member of Reformed Theological Seminary.
Some are questioning the timing of his resignation, asking whether it has to do with allegations of improprierty that have recently surfaced. Recently unearthed records show that on July 18, 2014 William (Liam) Goligher was arrested in Lancaster County for violating Lancaster City Code section 98-19.B for issues of “personal conduct.” Charges were filed on July 25, 2014, and he entered a guilty plea a few days later on July 31, ultimately paying a 231$ fine.
He wasn’t alone however. He was arrested alongside Susan Elzey, who also plead guilty and paid the fine.
Who is Susan Elzey and why was she arrested alongside Goligher? She is a deaconess at Tenth Presbyterian Church whose picture is no longer displayed on their website as of today. She is also not his wife, or the mother of his five children.
We could not find the statute that Goligher and Elzey were charged under on Lancaster County list of ordinances. According to Anglican Watch Editor Eric Bonetti, a former lawyer that used to practice law in PA and is familiar with charging practices in Lancaster, this is how public indecency is charged. We did find a paper on the government’s website, RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE USE OF THE LANCASTER COUNTY PARK SYSTEM, which includes threatening behavior, disorderly conduct, noise complaints, sexual activity and public nudity under the auspices of prohibited “personal conduct.”
It is unknow if the 2014 arrest has anything to do with his resignantion .
This is a developing story.
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Literally tons of professing Christian leaders have been caught up in sex scandals over this past month. I think pornography is at the heart of the problem. It has damaged the male mind and eroded standards, and this will become more of a problem as time marches on.
A clarifying point:
– This was 99% just a citation, not an actual arrest. Please correct your post. Even traffic tickets are written in legal terms as “arrest”. I confirmed this with the Chief at parks & rec.
In regards to the ordinance violated:
– The ordinances regarding Personal Conduct and sexual activity have gone through a few changes in recent years.
– Ordinance 98 was repealed and replaced with Ordinance 152 in 2022 (see minutes explaining this:
https://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02232022-2414).
– Ordinance 98-19B – from the Lancaster County Commissioners Meeting of December 15, 2010. It provides all sections of Ordinance 98. Section 19 is on page 7 of the document. 19B states that “No person shall engage in any form of sexual activity.”:
https://co.lancaster.pa.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_12152010-252
– According to staff at parks & rec, 152 became 153 and became 158, and they are working to clear up any confusion in the code. The code doesn’t include any of these ordinances at this time, it seems: https://ecode360.com/LA1674