Book excerpt: The Sacred Desert is a reflection on the role of the desert in theology, history, literature, art and film.:.; An original reflection on the role of the desert in theology, history, literature, art and film.; Discusses figures as diverse as Jesus, the early Christian Desert Fathers, T.E. Lawrence, T.S. Eliot, Georgia O'Keeffe, Wim Wenders and Jim Crace.; Makes connections across millennia of desert literature.; Deepens the reader's understanding of the desert as a real place, as an interior space, and as a textual site,.; Concludes with comments on the recent conflicts in Iraq.; Written in a r.