基督教，即英语Christianity，指从犹太教发展而来，耶稣基督所创立的，公元初在罗马帝国流传发展起来的基督教，包含有天主教、东正教、新教三大支派。本书所指的是新教，即英语Protestantism在中国传播和发展的历史。（Christianity, evolving out of existing Judaism, is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ at the height of the Roman Empire some two thousand years ago. It has developed into three major branches: Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox Church and Protestantism. What Chinese Christianity means in this book is related to the history of the dissemination and development of the Protestant faith in China.）