Theologian J. Todd Billings argues "the new view of heaven is too small." He shares the following observation:

A friend of mine's favorite Sunday school song growing up was "Dwell in Me, O Blessed Spirit," the first verse of which goes, "Dwell in me, O Blessed Spirit, Gracious Teacher, Friend Divine. For the home of bliss that waits me, O prepare this heart of mine." [Another theologian friend] notes that this song is now revised in an "updated" hymnal to read "For the kingdom work that calls me, O prepare this heart of mine." Apparently, those revising the song worried that speaking of the "home of bliss that waits me" leads to otherworldly passivity. Rather than prepare our hearts for the "home of bliss" in the age to come, we should focus on "the kingdom work that calls me."

This revision reflects the broader trend of evangelical scholars and pastors countering a wispy, ethereal view of heaven, separated from our present life. Rather than use "rapture" movies to scare non-Christians into faith so they are delivered from the burning earth, these evangelicals insist that Christian hope is not for the annihilation of the earth, but the restoration of all creation to service of the Lord … I embrace the main features of this counter-narrative to the rapture account. Redemption restores God's good creation. Heavenly hope involves a material, embodied restoration ... Yet, I also sense that we impoverish our hope for heaven when we turn it into an expression of our current activist emphasis upon "kingdom work."