Two days after resigning following a state investigation that substantiated sexual harassment and ethics violations, Dale Caldwell delivered a Plainfield sermon centered on false accusations and biblical figures he said had been wrongly accused.
PLAINFIELD, N.J. — Former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell returned to the pulpit Sunday, just two days after resigning from office, delivering a sermon that repeatedly invoked biblical figures who he said were falsely accused.
Caldwell preached at Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield, where he serves as pastor. His sermon was titled “When Lies Become Weapons,” according to a report by Joe Seewald of the New Jersey Globe.
“The Bible is filled with people who were falsely accused,” Caldwell said during the sermon, according to the Globe.
Caldwell Invokes Biblical Story of Joseph
Caldwell referenced the biblical story of Joseph, who was accused by Potiphar’s wife after rejecting her advances and was imprisoned despite maintaining his innocence, the Globe reported.
The sermon came immediately after the most consequential week of Caldwell’s political career.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced Thursday that an independent investigation had substantiated a sexual harassment allegation against Caldwell and found repeated violations of state ethics policies. The state investigation prompted Sherrill to call for his resignation.
Caldwell stepped down Friday.
State Investigation Substantiated Sexual Harassment Finding
The investigative report concluded that Caldwell made a sexual remark to a female staffer after making a romantic advance toward the staffer’s friend.
The report found that Caldwell told the employee, referring to her and her friend, “you young women are looking for young sperm.”
Investigators determined the remark constituted sexual harassment under state workplace policy and also found ethics violations involving Caldwell’s conduct in office.
Caldwell’s attorney, Thomas Calcagni, disputed the findings before the resignation and characterized the investigation as unfair and one-sided.
Sherrill accepted Caldwell’s resignation Friday, saying the investigation showed that he had “failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office.”
Sermon Comes Two Days After Resignation
Caldwell did not explicitly say during the portions of the sermon reported by the Globe that he was comparing himself directly to Joseph or another specific biblical figure.
However, the timing and subject of the sermon placed the themes of accusation, truth and wrongful blame alongside the controversy that forced him from office.
The New Jersey Globe reported that Caldwell repeatedly returned to examples of people in scripture who he said were wrongly accused.
The former lieutenant governor’s resignation ended his tenure less than a year into the Sherrill administration and created a vacancy in New Jersey’s second-highest elected office.
Caldwell, a longtime minister and former lieutenant governor, returned to his Plainfield congregation Sunday as the political fallout from the investigation continued across New Jersey.
