A white pastor known for his divisive stance on cultural issues fueled racial tensions in a recent livestream by admitting he once chose a white doctor over a Black one because he felt Black doctors are less qualified, saying they “didn’t have to prove as much merit” in medical school.
Joel Webbon, a self-proclaimed Christian nationalist and senior pastor of Covenant Bible Church in Austin, Texas, stated that he would always choose the white doctor over the Black one, arguing that “if one of them was not qualified and was given a free pass, it’d be the Black guy.”
A minute-long video clip of the interview has since gone viral on social media, with Webbon casually explaining his racist point of view to the host as both sat across from each other in a cozily furnished parlor.
Webbon — dressed in stonewashed jeans, a black Polo shirt, and a dark-gray suit jacket — also had a perfectly groomed beard, styled hair, and square-rim glasses and sat casually with one leg crossed over the other, speaking as if he were sharing a story at the dinner table.
“When we moved to Texas, I needed to get a new cardiologist. And so my wife, she does a lot of this for me, because before we had kids she was an RN, and she knows a lot more than I do.”
But after giving her credit, Webbon joked that he allows his wife to read medical books to keep him informed, implying that her access to this information is something he controls rather than a choice she makes.
“I let her read those books,” he said with a sly grin, squinting his eyes at the interviewer—his tone dripping with condescension.
Previously, Webbon revealed that he oversees every aspect of his household, including determining when his children can use the bathroom.
The host caught off guard, chuckled nervously off camera and quipped, “Believe it or not,” before Webbon abruptly cut him off, pressing on with his monologue.
“She does the research,” Webbon explained, “and she shows me two doctors, both within the same practice, same company, hospital.”
Webbon said his wife asked him to weigh the two physicians side by side.
And, um, ‘so, do you like one over the other?’” she said, according to Webbon.
“And one was a young white dude, and one was a young Black dude. And I said I prefer the young white dude.”
With increased conviction, Webbon swiftly clarified his stance.
“The reason why is not because I’m white, but because we currently live in a historical moment in the West, and particularly in these United States, where I know that both of these guys could be perfectly qualified. But I also know that if there’s a chance that one of them was not qualified and was given a free pass, it’d be the Black guy. I know that that young white guy, there’s no way he got a free pass.”
Footage of Webbon, posted nearly two weeks ago by Right Wing Watch, ignited a firestorm on X, drawing a wide range of reactions from anger and outrage to support for Webbon’s position.
“That is literally true,” wrote @fredgiblet, who concurred with Webbon. “Blacks are allowed into med school with lower test scores than whites are.”
But some voices dismissed Webbon’s inflammatory remarks, with many calling his position asinine.
“Do yall think that just because someone is a Black doctor they didn’t have to take the classes, pass the test, get board certified, etc like everyone else?” asked X user @andreharris89. “Y’all think they just go outside and do recess all day everyday during medical school or something? Like it don’t add up.”
Emmanuel Noisette, a Black film critic in Chicago who goes by @EmansReviews on X, countered Webbon’s argument by pointing out that white people have benefited from nepotism and a patriarchal system that favors them.
“There’s HIGHER CHANCE that the white dude got a free pass,” he wrote, referring to the ‘good ole boy network’ in America that has historically provided advantages to white people. “He probably was a legacy kid thanks to family ties. There’s the other factor that he probably didn’t have to work AS HARD because he probably came from a school system that let him coast as a C student. But this isn’t racist,” he ended on a sardonic note.
Agreeing, @kathynlongbeach added, “But have they somehow changed the standards to pass medical school and residency and I missed it?? It’s just ridiculous for him to make this point at all and it’s just to be controversial and stir things up imo.”
But another user, @SlowToWrite, tried to defend Webbon by straddling both sides of the issue but ended up entangling himself in contradictions.
“I’ve criticized these “Christian nationalists” as much as anyone for much of their concerning words (to put it graciously) recently. His words here may not be tact or wise, but it’s not inherently racist,” the commenter explained. “If I lived in the South a 100 years ago, I would definitely pick a black doctor over a white doctor, simply because of the perception that the white doctor might show partiality against me. I think that’s analogous to his point.”
The analysis fell flat and prompted more uproar and debate.
Further down the thread, @TRSolomon3 made a salient point, saying, Prejudging someone who graduated medical school and passed their boards to be less capable than someone else, based purely on the color of their skin, is a literal example of racism. What happened to MLK and “the content of their character, not the color of their skin?”
Some X users cited statistics from the Association of American Medical Colleges, which show that Blacks and Hispanics have lower MCAT scores and GPAs compared to Asians and whites, reflecting the disparities in overall percentiles.
“No, we know that blacks score lower,” @ExiledRacist said in support of Webbon. “Without forced diversity hiring, there would be almost no black doctors,” he added.
Despite Webbon receiving some backing on the platform, they were mostly drowned out by people who swooped into the comments section to set the record straight.
A user by the name of @JuryTrumpTrial didn’t mince words about Webbon: “Racists gonna racist,” he said. “Tax that hateful man’s church, BTW.”
Users who agreed with Webbon made references to DEI and affirmative action, policies that aim to address historical inequalities and promote opportunities for marginalized groups by considering race and other factors in employment and education.
“This is not racist,” wrote @BenZeisloft.
But @thekhemistlives clapped back on Webbon, cleverly pointing out, “That’s cool, I can just assume that White male doctors are where they are because of nepotism & cronyism.”
The softball interview, produced by Webbon’s own Right Response Ministries, where he serves as president, featured a host who barely got a word in and was likely prohibited from challenging Webbon’s views since it’s his show.
The website for Right Response Ministries emphasizes the widespread issue of spiritual ignorance, where many people either have never heard of Jesus or lack a deep understanding of him.
“Millions of people in the world today live in the midst of extreme theological poverty,” according to the ministry’s mission statement. “Many have not even heard the name of Jesus, and many of those who have heard still possess little knowledge of who Jesus truly is. Right Response Ministries is on a mission to change that. We aim to help people everywhere begin to embrace a right knowledge of God that will burst forth into a right response of obedience, worship, and heart-felt adoration. Theology is the fuel for doxology. The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.”
Back on social media, the hit parade continued on both sides of the fence.
Trying to be funny, X user @BaddCompani posted a photograph of retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson in surgical scrubs.
In the United States, Christian nationalism is a political and cultural movement that seeks to link Christian values and principles with national identity and governance.
Proponents of Christian nationalism, like Webbon, advocate for policies and practices that reflect their interpretation of Christianity, often aiming to shape laws and societal norms according to their religious beliefs.
Often, these beliefs promote notions of racial hierarchy and exclusion, harkening back to the eras of Jim Crow and slavery, but often using dog whistles to get these points across.
Webbon’s controversial views on race and merit suggest a belief in racial biases that align with his nationalist perspective while contributing to a broader narrative that marginalizes Black people and reinforces discrimination under the guise of preserving Christian values.
Webbon has been outspoken about his conservative nationalist views, which he discusses in his sermons and “Theology Applied” podcast.
Webbon stirred a similar controversy in June when he claimed that God does not want women to vote and that America should be governed by a religious dictator.
“If we had a Christian nation and women could vote, then within 50 years, we will no longer have a Christian nation,” Webbon said, according to reports. “God has not designed women for warfare, and that’s part of what politics is. It’s really all that politics is; it’s war without the blood. … I believe that the sword has been given to men. The sword is — without being crude, I think this is a fact — it is a phallus. It is assigned by God to men.”
