To a large extent, the "religious right" was a successful rebranding of what social conservatism meant away from being about the defense of white power. Social conservatism had traditionally been part of the Democratic coalition. By being willing to accept social conservatives into the fold before they had managed to shed their segregationist image, Goldwater a part of helping to bring the social conservatives into the GOP. But that wasn't just because of Goldwater, Nixon, and Reagan pulling them into the GOP, but LBJ, McGovern, and Mondale helping to push them out. If Carter had managed to have a successful presidency, I think that rather than being solidly part of the GOP, the religious right would have ended up being a swing constituency. But for many reasons that wasn't to be.
Barry Goldwater did not consolidate social conservatives. He was the candidate who brought together libertarians and hawks, while his stance on anti-discrimination laws forged an awkward, small coalition with segregationists. I would argue that he, being the first (and arguably only) GOP Presidential candidate firmly against any form of welfare state, really brought about Republican economics.
