Ashamed of my faith?

         A lot of scripture, particularly in the New Testament, encourages and petitions Believers to be bold in their faith. This is a department where I often have trouble with certain people.  The problem for me, isn't that I'm ashamed of anything that I believe, it's more that I think I'm ashamed of what people associate with others who claim to have the same beliefs as me.  There are far too many people who claim to believe in something and yet don't put forth the effort to display those beliefs through actions but rely solely on words.  Solely, I'm sure, is too radical of an accusation but the general pattern of their behaviour doesn't line up with the core of their professed paradigm.
        I really shouldn't be one to talk about hypocrisy as I'm sure that many people can point to actions that do not reflect the love of Christ that I hold as central toward guiding the way that I live.  I think that that too is part of the problem with my confidence in labeling myself with being "religious" or whatever the word choice is for people that ask about my theological leanings in a yes or no fashion.  I do my best (to be honest, I don't), but I really do try hard to live in a way that honors God and honors my loved ones. I fall short, I know this.  My biggest hang up is that I don't want people to associate Christianity with my failings, when my failings are a big part of why the love and forgiveness of God are essential to my life.  How do I encapsulate that within the confines of a one word answer or within 10 seconds?  I also don't want to say yeah, I'm religious, and immediately be placed into a box of being close-minded, hypocritical, and indifferent to other peoples problems that are due to behaviours that southern baptist ministers would condemn to hell.

I see facebook labels of Christians that I respect and love say creative little quips about their faith to avoid dropping "Christian" in the box.  What is it about the religion that we know and profess to be true that makes its namesake turn away more than it welcomes?  Are we wrong in not resisting the the negative imagery with traditional word association or are my friends blazing a new trail that focuses more on deeds than on labels?

I can't say that I have the answer, but I can say that I've shaken my head in bewilderment and some of the little quotes listed in religious views as attention seeking or as some other form of self aggrandizement instead of being straight forward.  But people may make different assumptions, if not always positive, about scriptural snippets or arbitrarily capitalized Statements about Cups, etc....

I still am no closer to knowing the most appropriate response, but my gut tells me that whatever it is, it should involve me being more willing to not answer on the fly and try to arrange a discussion later, to live more boldly by considerate/loving actions and to rely that my answer will rely more upon my living than on stereotypes someone's preconceived notions have implanted into their minds.  Because upon reflection, I think that people ask me these questions because they see something different and it doesn't fit their notions (I'm not meaning this in that I'm perfect or close to, but I am pretty accepting of people).  I shouldn't squander the opportunities nor should I go overboard on condoning behaviour that isn't in line with the natural order of things as ordained by God.

I can do better, I'm going to try.