The Language of the Kingdom

I found ch 16 of the McLaren book to be very interesting. I understand the author's pursuit to translate a bible that speaks to current times and understands, but I wonder if his attempts fall short of what was orginally being said. First off, the author strives to think of new metaphors for the "kingdom of God" in order to modernize it in a way that doesn't seem exclusionairy from the new global prespective. However, I find that the author actually seems to exclude a great number of individuals living around the world. The new translations seem to focus on an American perspectivie for understanding the kingdom in a way that defeats the purpose in my opinion. When I think of the Kingdom of God, I think of the entire earth, all its peoples, and a plethra of languages, understandings, values and beliefs. I find it difficult to stand behind any of the new metahphors the author provided because they do not seem to keep in mind all people and all places. McLaren says "Why is kingdom language not as dynamic today? First, because in our world, kingdoms are a thing of the past. They've given way to republics and democracies and democratic republics. Now, authority resides in constitutions and parliaments and congresses" (McLaren 138-139). However, this statement seems one-sided and ethnocentric, speaking from an American or Western Europe point of view. Not all countries have these forms of government or think of kingdoms, in a lingustic sense, as being from the past. I find that I prefer the orginal language to the alternitives presented here.