The point is, we haven't developed an adult Church that understands the value of those opportunities. That's not to say we never will, but it's naive to think that just because the Church now offers adult faith opportunities, people who've been conditioned to a childhood model of formation are going to embrace them.

The situation in the Church today is analogous to that of the former Soviet states after the fall of communism. We mistakenly thought those states would immediately embrace democracy, but they had no experience of it and weren't prepared. So in many cases, they reverted back to some form of what they already knew.

By the way, those lay people you speak of with the 90% of theology degrees are still undervalued and underpaid by the clerical caste who run the show. I wish I had a dime for every highly qualified person I know with an advanced theology degree who can't get a job because some compliant kid fresh out of a traditionalist college is available and cheaper.