Phrogge,
I agree with you, but I might take it one step further here.  I think where the church has gotten itself tangled up is in the transition between how jesus lived, and the concept of "commands" of or by Jesus.  

I think his "commands" were very simple: Love God, Love your neighbor.  In all likelihood, all else was about examples of what that might mean. I think when we try to interpret Gospel stories as a "command"  by Jesus, we miss the point.  The cost of that "miss" plays out in the hot button issues of our day.  I could imagine a very different position for a vibrant church today, for example, if the focus were on just those two commands, followed by good faith efforts to understand how those might apply to homosexuals, woman's ordination, the scandal, etc.

I agree that we have all the tools we need today. Can/will we use them?  I think there's a growing sense that if we are to use them, we'll have to find a place outside the church to do so.