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God changed the names of a lot of people in the Bible, Jesus had two Simons on his hands, could he have changed Peter's name to avoid confusion.

You're right, but you'll find that whenever God changed someone's name it was because they played an instrumental role in furthering His Kingdom. Abram became Abraham as he became a spiritual father of God's people, Jacob's name was changed to Israel as he became the spiritual father of God's people, and Simon's name was changed to Peter because...there were two Simons? That doesn't seem to make much sense. There's a pattern here with how God works and Peter is part of that larger plan.

I am not a theologian but could the keys to the kingdom of heaven be the knowledge that Jesus gave him or the Holy Spirit.

Be that as it may, Peter was given the keys to it and thus was entrusted with its protection as the "King" was away. This was very common of the Dividic Kings in ancient Israel and something the Jews would have picked up on right away.

The Bible describes Jesus as the chief cornerstone of the church. I think there is some room for interpretation when he has his discussion with Peter but that seems pretty clear.

Where does the Bible say that? It says that Christ is the cornerstone of our faith, and certainly this faith is at the heart of God's church, but it was Peter who was entrusted with its care while Christ was away.

You can try and explain away a multitude of scenarios which contradict this passage, but it becomes nothing more than a contradiction and you're left with having to disregard a passage of the Divine Word of God to make your theology work. Is a theology that disregards specific passages of Scripture because they're inconsistent with one's beliefs a sound theology?

I should really keep a Bible at work but I think the passage is Ephesians 2:20 NIV version. If I misquoted, I apologize.

I think Peter is one of the most important people in our faith. I think we can agree he was less important than Jesus. I believe that Jesus is the head of the church, He is the husband and we are the bride. If you consider the traditional Jewish family, the Husband was the head of the family.

There are multiple passages describing the church and what it should be. I agree there is an argument to be made based on the passage you quoted but there is other information in the Bible. I think you can believe that Peter is the head of the church and I can believe otherwise but as long as we place our faith on Christ, we will see each other in eternity and we will both know the answer.

There are many passages in the Bible that can be quoted that seem to contradict other passages but when I read the Bible as a whole, the contradictions fade away. When I read the passage, I see Jesus referring to himself as the rock the church is built upon.

I look forward to your reply but I may choose to not pursue this conversation further. It is not my job to change your mind and I really don't mind if you disagree with me. I have enjoyed our conversation but I feel a little guilty using freerepublic bandwidth. I just want you to know that I think you are a brother in Christ and I have entered this discussion because it was enjoyable, not to stir up any antagonism.