Rev. Mark Bestul, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Elgin, Illinois, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Part III, Article IX: Excommunication in the Smalcald Articles in the Book of Concord. They discuss what excommunication is especially from a Lutheran or Roman Catholic viewpoint, how penitence and contrition plays a role in excommunication and “minor bans,” and how closed communion relates to excommunication.