Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Iain D. Campbell


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. Kurykh (talk) 00:17, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

Iain D. Campbell

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His death had some news coverage, but fails WP:BIO1E. Being Moderator of the Free Church does not confer notability: it is a rotating leadership position in a relatively small (13,000 people) denomination. StAnselm (talk) 09:51, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Keep (declaration of interest - I created the article). The subject's death has been covered widely in numerous media. He was a published author with at least 12 books to his name. An obituary said "Iain was a well-known figure in Evangelical circles throughout Britain, and beyond, and tributes have already come in from the USA and elsewhere". The Daily Telegraph described him as a "well-respected minister who was known as a talented preacher and accomplished theologian". It is clear that he was influential beyond his own small denomination. The circumstance of his death were unusual and notable. I submit that all these reasons combine to meet WP:GNG. SmilingFace (talk) 10:16, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
 * The adjectives used - well-respected, talented, accomplished - are all ones that fall short of notability. If he wasn't notable before his death, WP:BIO1E suggests he shouldn't have an article now. StAnselm (talk) 18:52, 15 March 2017 (UTC)


 * Update. I have now located 17 books he authored, two he was joint editor of, and 1 he contributed to. Also...
 * From :
 * He could have adorned pulpits in the largest cities in the world or become a professor in an American seminary, but he valued the community which nourished and nurtured him, and he shared their values (Geoff Thomas (pastor))
 * Iain D. Campbell was a brilliant communicator, in constant demand as a lecturer and conference-speaker... But he was also a master of the written word, as his many publications show (Donald Macleod (theologian))
 * He was a gifted Reformed theologian who longed to see it taught faithfully, warmly, imaginatively and clearly. (Dr. Malcolm Maclean, chair of the board of Edinburgh Theological Seminary)
 * From :
 * Iain D was a rare gift – a brilliant communicator, an academic, a master of the written word and a pastor...It is hard to over-estimate the colossal impact of Iain D. Campbell’s ministry both locally, nationally and internationally (Gavin Mackemzie, Christian Focus Publications)
 * From :
 * Dr Campbell was understandably in demand as a conference speaker throughout the country and overseas. He was due to go to Korea later this month to deliver lectures at a Theological Seminary in Seoul. In addition to his powers of speech he also possessed admirable writing skills...His writings are marked by rigorous research, clarity, faithfulness to Scripture, humility, purpose and an obvious concern to honour and exalt the God who had so wonderfully gifted him as a communicator of the gospel (Rev James Maciver, minister of Stornoway Free Church)
 * I quoted all that because point 1 of WP:AUTHOR says The person is regarded as an important figure or is widely cited by peers or successors. The subject's peers clearly regard him as an important figure and hence this criteria is met. Combine that with the unusual circumstances of his death, his body of work, and I submit that, whether or not he was notable before his death, he is notable now. SmilingFace (talk) 19:23, 15 March 2017 (UTC)


 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Scotland-related deletion discussions. AllyD (talk) 10:17, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Christianity-related deletion discussions. StAnselm (talk) 18:56, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of People-related deletion discussions. StAnselm (talk) 18:56, 15 March 2017 (UTC)


 * Keep -- (1) Author of a significant body of books (2) as Moderator of a significant denomination he was in a position similar to a bishop. While that office is for a shorter term and less prominent, it probably still makes him WP-notable.  Peterkingiron (talk) 16:01, 18 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Comment: I don't know the person, and have not verified if I am correct, but it's not impossible that if notable, it be because of the extra-marital affair and suicide, if it made the papers. PaleoNeonate (talk) 09:59, 20 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Keep - Addressing the nominators point that "Being Moderator of the Free Church does not confer notability: it is a rotating leadership position in a relatively small (13,000 people) denomination." First, are we sure that being FCofS moderator does not confer notability?  By means of comparison, the four year rotating leadership position of an organization of 14,000 people seems to convey notability on its incumbents.  Granted it is not quite the same -  four years not one but the organizational sizes are similar.  Secondly, is the denomination really that small?  It could be argued that while it is small by historical standards, it is currently the fourth largest denomination in Scotland, easily has many more people in its churches on a Sunday than the majority of denominations in the UK (some of which really are small) and, in parts of the highlands and islands, it is the majority religious organization.  In general, if there are multiple reliable sources for moderators such that there is enough material for biographical articles of decent length then I fail to see why we could not create them. There seems to be easily enough for an article in this case and all of that is without considering the subject's volume of published works or professorial chair. Greenshed (talk) 02:19, 21 March 2017 (UTC)
 * I'm not going to take a view on whether every moderator of the Free Church of Scotland is notable. But for the subject of this article, I believe the combination of factors (former moderator, body of work, wider roles, manner of death) is sufficient to meet WP:GNG. SmilingFace (talk) 09:18, 21 March 2017 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.