MAGA 'Christian' Says Church Should Let Women Who Reject Marriage and Kids 'Starve' if Welfare Collapses

A MAGA-aligned Christian nationalist has sparked fury after appearing to argue that some older, unmarried women who chose not to have children should be left to starve if the US welfare system collapses.

Joel Webbon, a pastor and prominent Christian nationalist commentator, made the remarks while discussing what he believes churches should do if the state can no longer meet the needs of poor Americans.

His comments centred on a hypothetical 65-year-old woman who had never married or had children, with Webbon portraying her decision as a rejection of traditional marriage, Christianity and motherhood.

The remarks have since circulated widely online, with critics accusing him of turning religious beliefs about family and responsibility into a justification for denying basic help to vulnerable people.

Joel Webbon Targeted Older Women Who Chose Not To Have Children

Webbon's argument began with a scenario in which the government could no longer provide adequate support for impoverished Americans. He said churches would then face an enormous responsibility, but suggested that assistance should not necessarily be available to everyone.

He specifically described an older woman who had remained unmarried and childless by choice. In his scenario, the woman had rejected what he described as the patriarchy, traditional marriage and Christianity, while deliberately choosing not to have children.

Webbon also linked her hypothetical circumstances to the use of antidepressants and birth control, presenting her life choices as evidence of a broader ideological rejection of traditional family structures.

He then imagined the woman reaching old age, becoming unable to work and experiencing financial hardship after the welfare system had collapsed.

He Said the Church Should Tell Her 'You Starve'

Webbon said that if such a woman eventually needed help, the church should be prepared to refuse it. 'You starve. Glory be to God. You starve,' he said in the remarks discussed on The Kyle Kulinski Show.

The statement was presented as part of a wider argument about how Christian churches should prioritise their own members and believers if government welfare disappeared. Webbon has previously discussed a similar framework in which churches would first support Christians considered deserving before potentially extending assistance to outsiders if resources remained.

The hypothetical woman was therefore not simply presented as someone experiencing poverty. Her lack of a husband and children, along with her supposed rejection of traditional Christian values, was central to Webbon's reasoning.

Welfare Argument Put Family Choices at the Centre

Webbon's argument appeared to treat marriage and parenthood as forms of long-term social responsibility. Under that framework, someone who deliberately remained single and childless could be viewed as having rejected the family structure that would ordinarily provide support in old age.

Critics have challenged that logic, pointing out that people can become impoverished for countless reasons unrelated to their marital status or reproductive choices. A person may lose employment, suffer financial setbacks, become disabled, experience a family breakdown or simply lack sufficient resources in later life.

The remarks also raise questions about how such a system would determine who deserves help. If religious or political beliefs became part of the criteria, assistance could potentially depend on whether someone lived according to a particular moral or ideological standard.