Of all the titles of the Church's Standard Works, no name suffers such a frequent slight as does the Doctrine and Covenants.

In writing and in speech, the Doctrine and Covenants is often one of the most abbreviated phrases in our acronym-happy Church, with the sacred volume often identified simply as "D&C" or even by some as "D.C."

A recent Web search finds that Doctrine and Covenants competes with some 250 other names, words and phrases abbreviated as "D.C." as well as with another dozen referred with the "D&C" tag.

Other Standard Works are never abbreviated as routinely — nary an H.B. for Holy Bible (although O.T. and N.T. for Old Testament and New Testament are sometimes used), B.O.M. for Book of Mormon or the cumbersome POGP for the Pearl of Great Price.

And when individuals avoid the abbreviation and say the book's full name when speaking, it often comes out as a run-on, phonetically condensed version missing several syllables — sounding along the lines of "doct-rand-cov-nants" or even something like "Doctor Covens."

The above somewhat-tongue-in-cheek paragraphs aside, no simple title of any of the Standard Works carries more impact in the words and significance than does the title of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Unlike the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon and much of the Pearl of Great Price, the Doctrine and Covenants is not a translation of ancient documents but almost exclusively a compilation of latter-day revelations, mostly given to the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Originally published in 1833 with 65 chapters and titled "A Book of Commandments, for the Government of the Church of Christ," our present-day Doctrine and Covenants contains 138 sections and two official Church declarations.

And for 2009, the Doctrine and Covenants will be the focal point of the gospel doctrine lessons in weekly Sunday School classes.

Consider the elements of the book's name — "doctrine" and "covenants" being two of the basic foundations of the restored Gospel.

Explained President Joseph Fielding Smith: "This title which the Lord gave when they got out this edition — let me refer to the title page: 'The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' — is very significant and tells the story of what this book actually is. It contains the doctrine of the Church; it contains the covenants the Lord will make with the Church, if we are willing to receive them" (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:198).

In the heading of the book's own Section 70, Joseph Smith explained that the Doctrine and Covenants is "the foundation of the Church in these last days, and a benefit to the world, showing that keys of the mysteries of the kingdom of our Savior are again entrusted to man" (see also History of the Church 1:235).

Other latter-day prophets testifying of the power and importance of the Doctrine and Covenants include the following:

— President Brigham Young: "The book of Doctrine and Covenants is given for the Latter-day Saints expressly for their everyday walk and actions" (Journal of Discourses, 16:188).

— President Joseph F. Smith: "I say to my brethren that the book of Doctrine and Covenants contains some of the most glorious principles ever revealed to the world, some that have been revealed in greater fullness than they were ever revealed before to the world" (Gospel Doctrine, page 45).

— President Ezra Taft Benson: "The Book of Mormon is the 'keystone' of our religion, and the Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone, with continuing latter-day revelation. The Lord has placed His stamp of approval on both the keystone and the capstone" ("The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants," Ensign, May 1987).

As we continue to use the Doctrine and Covenants in our personal and family scripture studies, in preparing and presenting our talks and lessons and — especially this year — in our Sunday School gospel doctrine discussions, may the simple yet powerful name of this Standard Works volume remind us of the book's validity and value in our mortal lives and eternal understandings.