Great essay, Bill. Let me offer my slant. In the past, it may have been true that most Christians were theologically and biblically illiterate because of a lack of preparation in those disciplines. Since the advent of higher criticism, it's also true that we're "illiterate" in the sense that people who approach the academic study of theology and scripture from different perspectives and sub-disciplines are often unable to have a conversation, so great are their methodological divergences. The result is that theologians and exegetes tend to engage in internecine debates about the history and interpretation off texts, leaving them unable to speak the language of the people. At the same time, the bishops, aware that the discussion is often over their heads/miters, don't engage their people at all. The original intention of various Catechisms was to bridge that gap, but their success has largely been measured along party lines. If we don't bridge this chasm, I don't know..