Fight breaks out at Tenn. church where pastor blamed 'antifa' for Capitol insurrection: report

A physical altercation reportedly broke out during Sunday services at the prominent Tennessee church where longtime former pastor Steve Berger infamously blamed "antifa" for the Capitol insurrection.

Berger led Grace Chapel in Franklin, Tennessee, for 25 years and served as pastor to Republican Gov. Bill Lee before stepping down shortly after attending former president Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6.

Berger claimed his resignation was not related to his attendance at the rally or his subsequent false claim that members of "antifa" were responsible for the ensuing riot — a claim he later recanted.

On Sunday, Berger's wife Sarah Berger — the longtime former Women's Ministry director — attacked Grace Chapel's new leadership in remarks to the congregation, prompting the church to cut off its live feed of the service, and possibly resulting in a physical altercation, according to a report from Twitter user Saint Dymphna, who posted video from the incident.

"Breaking news: power struggle at @GraceChapelLF manifests during service," Saint Dymphna reported. "#SarahBerger accusing lead pastor Rob Rogers and former pastor Mark Bright of 'cancelling' her husband, founding pastor #SteveBerger. Live feed gets cut, physical altercation allegedly breaking out."

"As you can hear Sarah Berger say, allegedly Rogers and Bright accused Berger of being a #ChristianExtremist, a credible allegation judging by his sermons and behavior," the report continued. "Unverified reports from church members currently inside the building state that 'a fight has broken out.'"

Saint Dymphna later reported that one source claimed there was no fight on Sunday — only a verbal altercation — and that the physical violence occurred last week between Berger and Rogers.

"(S)ource alleges that Berger called Rogers a 'f*cking idiot,' pushing him to the ground. Still waiting on further information about what happened after the live stream was cut, but allegedly Rogers ended up leaving the building in (understandable) frustration."

The church later posted a statement on Twitter saying elders "firmly rebuke the outburst and resulting manner that erupted today" — adding they were "embarrassed and ashamed" by what happened.

"Families, including church families, can be messy, and regrettably, this was on full display today," the statement said.

Hemant Mehta at Friendly Atheist has more of the back story related to Sunday's incident, including allegations that Berger failed to act on a report from a teenage girl that her father had sexually abused her. The girl now alleges that her father murdered her 18-year-old brother to prevent him from going public about the sexual abuse.