Update: December, 2023, February, 2024, and October, 2025. Liam Goligher has been proven to have been living a double life. Evidence here: Liam Goligher turns out to be a wolf in shepherd’s clothing, Police ticket proving Liam Goligher’s illicit sexual activity. He was disciplined by the PCA in late 2024 and no longer has any standing in the PCA. He has returned to the UK and is posting Roman Catholic-type prayers at his personal Facebook account.
I am not going to be taking down any of my posts which feature Liam Goligher’s work. I never scrub posts from my blog. To scrub a post would result in all the comments made on the post being scrubbed also. I don’t want to to de-voice victims of abuse! I always try to prioritise the voices and viewpoints of victims-survivors. [End of update.]
In our recent discussions regarding ERAS, we have referenced Liam Goligher’s wise words regarding this unbiblical controversy. Over the next several Sundays, we are inviting you to watch a sermon series on the book of Esther by Liam Goligher [Internet Archive link] who is Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In Part 1, The Emperor Strikes Back, Dr Goligher shows heartfelt outrage about the abuse of women by husbands and other men who see women as just objects. He applauds Queen Vasthti for saying “No!”, and he tells women who are being abused by their husbands that his church will believe them and support them.
Watch, listen to, or download The Emperor Strikes Back.
Scripture: Esther 1:1-22.
Note: In the sermon Dr Goligher speaks about domestic abuse as physical violence, but clearly he doesn’t think it is limited to just physical violence because he praises Queen Vashti’s refusal to be paraded like a sex object at the King’s banquet.
[November 6, 2025: Editors’ notes:
—For some comments made prior to November 6, 2025 that quoted from the post, the text in the comment that was quoted from the post might no longer be an exact match.
—For some comments made prior to November 6, 2025 that quoted from the post, the text in the comment that was quoted from the post might no longer be found in the post.
If you would like to compare the text in the comments made prior to November 6, 2025 that quoted from the post to the post as it is now (November 6, 2025), click here [Internet Archive link] for the most recent Internet Archive copy of the post.]
***
Posts in this series
Part 1: Is this post.
Part 2: Beauty and the Beast — Liam Goligher’s 2nd sermon on the book of Esther
Part 3: Of Plots and Kings — Liam Goligher’s 3rd sermon on the book of Esther
Part 4: If I Perish, I Perish — Liam Goligher’s 4th sermon on the book of Esther
Part 5: Battle Plans — Liam Goligher’s 5th sermon on the book of Esther
Part 6: Sleepless in Susa — Liam Goligher’s 6th sermon on the book of Esther
Part 7: Mission Impossible — Liam Goligher’s 7th sermon on the book of Esther
Part 8: Binding the Strong Man — Dr Liam Goligher’s 8th sermon on the book of Esther.
Part 9: Holy War — Dr Liam Goligher’s 9th sermon on the book of Esther
Part 10: Celebrate: Come On! — Dr Liam Goligher’s final sermon on the book of Esther
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Thank God for his bravery! Amazes me that thousands of years later, men in leadership still find ways to place “edicts” on a woman who says no. Not to even mention the ostracizing.
So be it!
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Thank you Dr. Liam Goligher for taking a bold stand in bringing us the truth about a husband’s horrific abuse of power as is shown clearly in Esther.
And thank you Pastor Jeff Crippen and Barbara Roberts for making Dr. Goligher’s sermon a part of your blog at ACFJ.
I had the great privilege and honor to attend Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia on many occasions under the preaching of Dr. James Boice. And in the last several years I have had occasion to visit Tenth at least four times a year and sit under Dr. Goligher’s preaching; a true blessing and reward for me!
Just finished listening to The Emperor Strikes Back. Chilling parallel to life with my abuser. I, too, said NO to my abuser. Upon my doing so, his out-of-control temper and rage to this very day awakens me with cold sweats and nightmares. I am two months divorced. My abuser demanded I return to him after having been rescued from his terror and torment but when I would not, he divorced me. He is a “man of the cloth” and so fearing scandal wanted to quiet me and dump me as quickly as possible. He has always known what he is; now I know what he is; and now he knows I know what he is. Nothing else for him to do but get me out of his life ASAP. Once these abusers know you are ‘on to them’ they have no further use for you. They will, and in my case, discard you like a bag of garbage.
Dr. Goligher, what you just preached, in part, described my “marriage.” I was tormented, terrorized, and traumatized…demeaned, devalued and dehumanized the entire time. But these types of wolves cloaking themselves and hiding behind scripture, sitting in our pews and preaching (performing) in our pulpits, yes these types, they wear white gloves…they don’t physically hit a woman because cowards that they are will then leave behind physical evidence.
Thank you Dr. Goligher for encouraging women who do suffer physical violence to call the police. And thank you for standing firm to say when women come to you in church leadership they will be believed! When we are NOT believed, we are abused all over again.
Thank you for shedding light on domestic violence and paralleling it to Queen Vashti who had the courage to say No. And to God alone be the glory!
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When they know you know what they are, they rage and then they look for another victim – at least if they cannot terrorize you into putting yourself back into their bondage. You nailed it Anonymous.
I have seen the same thing over and over in narcissistic sociopathic wolves in the church, parading as Christians. Their only purpose in being there is to seek self-glory through controlling others. Their facade is always the same fundamentally – saintliness. How they rage and gnash their teeth when they are called out on their hypocrisy!
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Pastor Crippens, while I am deeply saddened that you too over the years have been a target and victim of these wolves, I praise God that through it all you are indeed wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove. Thank you for your ongoing hard work and ministry for victims of domestic violence. We can tell our stories and hope to shed light and make a difference and yet, until one has truly been a victim of a narcissistic sociopathic terrorists, and looked into the face of evil, the sheer horror of it is still very hard to put into words. Thank you for being a voice for all victims and standing up courageously to the real evil who seeks to destroy, crush and ultimately kill.
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Excellent!! Looking forward to the rest of the series.
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Thank you very much for providing this sermon and others to follow. I’ve been going through ‘another’ period of self-doubt. Along with Pastor Crippen’s sermons this one greatly encouraged me that it is not wrong to be a woman of strong moral character.
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Awesome sermon! Especially how Goligher contrasted “I’m king of castle” mentality that so many men in patriarchal circles hold to and force in their homes verses King Jesus who came to love, cherish, and sacrifice for His bride!
Goligher’s instruction to “ignore” pastors who advise women to go back and talk to their (physically) abusive husbands, but rather, go talk to the police is spot on! By going to the police, the abuse is on the record.
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Actually, it may vary in different areas, but my experience here in Victoria Australia was that when I went to the police, my report was not ‘on the record’ unless I actually agreed for them to lay charges. It was probably recorded in the notebook of that police officer, but it wasn’t recorded in any official way in their system which made it accessible later to other police and which I could then obtain as back up evidence to use in the Family Court years later when I left my abuser and had a custody battle.
So, if you do go to the police, I suggest you ask them if they will be recording your report and if so, in what form. And ask them whether other police or a court or any lawyer you may get in the future could easily access that record later.
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Beautiful. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this.
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This is a great sermon which I posted on F/B with my comments. Thanks for sharing. He showed how pathetic are men seeking power over women through legislation because of their fear of being disrespected. I never saw the humor in Esther 1 before but now I laugh out loud as I read it.
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The advisors response to Vashti was like a parody of the men in too many churches these days!
I never caught that before.
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Thank you for sharing this! And thank you, TWBTC and Barb, for the very helpful summaries and notes posted throughout the series.
Liam Goligher’s wisdom and heart for God (and for people, including women!) really come through in these messages…as contrasted to the teaching and heart of so many others when handling the Book of Esther.
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Wow. Liam Goligher brought out so many overlooked nuances, too many to list.
(….insert net-speak for wordless appreciation….)
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