Date
11-13-2025
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Leadership (PhD)
Chair
Jacob Dunlow
Keywords
Ancient Astronaut Theory, Evangelical Millennials, Cross-Sectional Study, Quantitative, Exploratory, Vygotsky
Disciplines
Education | Leadership Studies
Recommended Citation
Bazzell, Richard Barry, "Ancient Astronaut Theory and Christian Belief Among Evangelical Millennials: A Quantitative Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7660.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7660
Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative, exploratory, non-experimental, cross-sectional study was to explore the possible influence of the Ancient Astronaut Theory upon Evangelical Christian millennials in the aspects of their biblical worldview, belief in the triune God, and Christian praxis. The researcher structured the study upon four pillars: (a) Evangelical millennials, (b) Evangelical theology, (c) Lev Vygotsky’s social constructivism, and (d) Eric Von Däniken’s Ancient Astronaut Theory. The study population was Evangelical millennials in the state of Texas. The study’s instrumentation was a researcher-designed 5-point Likert scale survey titled Ancient Astronaut Theory–Evangelical Christian Millennials (AAT–ECM). Because the respondents were fewer in number than originally anticipated, analysis of covariance was selected as the statistical measurement to reduce Type II errors. The reliability and validity of the survey instrument were established through Cronbach’s alpha and an expert panel, respectively. The desired outcome of the study was to (a) fill the gap in an understudied branch of pseudoscience and (b) better inform Christian ministry leadership and educators regarding the influence that popular culture may have on the biblical worldview, belief in the triune God, and Christian praxis of self-identified Evangelical Christian millennials.
