Hold That Thought: Reappraising the work of Dr Caroline Leaf

Who, what, when, where and why? Five words. Five good questions to start any book.

Who am I? My name is Dr Christopher Edward Pitt MBBS FRACGP, but I write as Dr C. Edward Pitt to honour my father, Edward. I am a General Practitioner (or Family Physician in some parts of the world). I work in the booming northern growth corridor of Brisbane, Australia. I have been studying and working in medicine over 20 years.

What is this book about? As the title suggests, it is a reappraisal of the work of Dr Caroline Leaf, a South African communication pathologist now residing in the US. Dr Leaf states she is a cognitive neuroscientist, and is one of the most popular Christian authors in the western world. While Dr Leaf has published many works, my review centres on the two books that encapsulate her core teachings.

When and where: This book is the culmination of sixteen months of research and writing in my spare time (usually in the middle of the night and on weekends, much to my wife's chagrin). This book is available worldwide via the major eBook distributors and the Internet.

Most importantly, why?

"Why criticise Dr Leaf? She is a global Christian phenomenon, teaching from pulpits around the world, endorsed by some of Christianity's most famous leaders. Surely there's nothing to reappraise? Is it even Biblical to publically speak against an anointed leader?"

These are just some of the questions I have been asked by my friends during the last year and a half as I have shared some of my research with them.

These are important questions to answer straight off the bat. I want to start by looking at the difference between critique and criticism. The words sound so much alike, it's easy to assume they're the same thing. Actually, they're poles apart.

Criticism is fault finding on a personal level, "the expression of disapproval of someone or something on the basis of perceived faults or mistakes." [3] Attacking Dr Leaf's personal beliefs or intentions would be criticism. A critique, on the other hand, is "a detailed analysis and assessment of something, especially a literary, philosophical, or political theory." [3] We all need ideas to be critiqued. That is how ideas are tested and knowledge grows. Without critique of scientific theories and findings, we would still be living in mud huts as hunter gatherers.