The "ridiculous plot twists" and the "horde of teeny-boppers" mentioned in the review here were both in the book. They were not added by the scriptwriter or the director. The script is very faithful to the book.
A very controversial episode. Read some of the reviews which appeared when it first aired, Great acting jobs by everyone involved.
Tom Wicker wrote the book on which this episode is based. He was a top-notch reporter for The New York Times, where he covered Capitol Hill. He also wrote several novels, using both his real name and the pseudonym Paul Connolly.
The Bible quote which opens and closes the episode does NOT appear in the book. Luke's fate is the same in both, but the circumstances are different.