What does courtship or courting mean? and how does it differ from dating?

Courtship (from a Christian perspective) is getting to know someone and decide if you think it is God's will for you both to get married. In courtship the two people keep themselves pure until marriage treating each other as their brother or sister in Christ. The exact way it is done is different for everybody, but the biggest thing is being God-focused. Typically the guy approaches the lady's father and asks if he could pursue a courtship with his daughter. It involves prayer on both sides to decide if they should pusue courtship. It is not based on physical attraction, (although that has it's place) but more on if this is someone you could lead (for a guy) or follow (for a girl), looking at their character, etc. It also involves the family and Christian community. For instance, the couple may ask members of the church, friends, and parents if they see any problems in the relationship. Courtship is also different from dating in that it holds to the Biblical views of the role of guy and girls. The man has the responsibilty of being the spiritual leader and protecting and keeping his wife pure, while the woman has the responsibility of helping the man and submitting to his authority (I know that's a hard one for the ladies, but that's our curse! Genesis 3).