New study shows protestants no longer in the majority

TYLER — For the first time since the PEW Research Center has been doing this particular study, protestants now make up less than 50% of the U.S. population.

This is due to many things...but one of the main reasons is about 20% of people now consider themselves unafilliated with any religion.

But a large part of that statistic is people that consider themselves spiritual...just not religious.

Stuart Baskin, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Tyler sees it as a challenge.

He feels parents in his generation have tended to tell their kids that religion is optional...choose for yourself.

So he says it's up to the churches to step up their game.

"The idea has been, people would just come to church because you're supposed to go to church.  But now we're in a day in age where you basically have to say to somebody that there's a reason why they ought to be in church," Baskin said.

And it should be noted that this study comes in a time when no one on the supreme court is protestant, no one on the Republican ticket for President is protestant, and only one person on the Democratic ticket.