I trust the fathers of the Church more than the renaissance and later founders, mostly because they were much closer to the source. Therefore their witness, and how they interpreted the teachings have higher value to me than someone in the 1500s, 1800s, or 1900s...This is why I am where I am.
"I trust the fathers of the Church more than the renaissance and later founders, mostly because they were much closer to the source"
I trust the early fathers also. But it's a false analogy to compare/contrast early fathers to reformation leaders. The comparison is reformation leaders focusing on the Bible to contemporary Catholic leadership focusing on Tradition.
When you read Paul and the Apostles you are reading the original source of all Tradition. It is uneffected by even the fainted possibility of doctrinal drift.