Clifford J. Green passed away in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 22, 2026, one week before his 92^nd birthday. He leaves his long-time partner, Dr. Vicki Mistacco; his children Monica Green (Richard West), Cathie Green (Dean Spence), and Paul Green (Susan Lofthouse) and their mother Audley J. Green; grandchildren Owen Green West, Emma Green West, and Christopher Green West. Born and raised in Sydney, NSW, Australia, Clifford studied at Sydney University and Melbourne College of Divinity before receiving his doctorate from Union Theological Seminary (NY). He was an ordained Lutheran minister and taught at Wellesley and Goucher before becoming Professor of Theology at Hartford Seminary.

He was the founding President of the International Bonhoeffer Society, English Language Section, from 1972-1992. In 1990 he became executive director of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works Translation Project, a translation of the 17-volume German Bonhoeffer Werke (DBW). The English edition was completed in 2014 with the publication of the final volume. Clifford devoted several decades to ensuring that the DBWE project was well-funded, well-directed, and of the highest academic standard. His prodigious fundraising skills led to DBWE project support by seven major foundations as well as numerous private donors.

Internationally recognized as a leading Bonhoeffer scholar, he brought his own erudition and insight to the Bonhoeffer Works project. He served as volume editor for DBWE 1 (Sanctorum Communio); DBWE 6 (Ethics); DBWE 7 (Fiction from Tegel Prison); DBWE 10 (Barcelona, Berlin, New York: 1928-1931); and co-editor of DBWE 9 (The Young Bonhoeffer: 1918-1927). He was co-editor of two German DBW volumes, Ethik and Jugend und Studium.

In addition to numerous articles and book chapters, Clifford’s seminal work, Bonhoeffer: A Theology of Sociality (1999)broke new ground in interpreting Bonhoeffer’s theological writings through the lens of theological anthropology, yielding new insights to works such as Act and Being and the late prison writings. His other books include Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom (1989) and Church, Cities, and Human Community: Urban Ministry in the United States (1996).

In 2014, the University of Aberdeen awarded Clifford a Doctor of Divinity honoris causa  in recognition of his “lifelong services to Bonhoeffer studies and in particular his leading role in the production of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works English Edition.” From 2017-19 he directed a transatlantic seminar for U.S. and German scholars under the auspices of Union Theological Seminary. At his passing he was still working on Bonhoeffer’s Worldly Christianity, a collection of his articles and lectures.

Among his many rich friendships, Clifford cherished his close relationship with Eberhard Bethge, the German theologian and pastor best known as the close friend and biographer of Bonhoeffer. His long friendship with Bethge brought Bonhoeffer to life for Clifford in a way that lent nuance and deeper meaning to his interpretation of Bonhoeffer’s writings. Hundreds of students and Bonhoeffer Society members will remember him best as the congenial and ever-present creator and mentor of an international network of Bonhoeffer scholars. At every Bonhoeffer conference and AAR meeting he sought out students and beginning scholars, introducing them to others in the field. He leaves a remarkable legacy of scholarship, international friendship, and many good memories among those of us fortunate enough to know him.