In the theology of the New Testament, the charismata were bestowed frequently on the believers. The goal was to strengthen the first century church and protect the budding faith from being eradicated during the times of the persecutions. Because of the supernatural aspect of the charismata gifts, many mainstream Christians believe that they died out with the apostles, and were reserved only for the first century church.
While spiritual gifts, such as the gifts of teaching, generosity, and so on (oftentimes referred to as gifts of the Holy Spirit) are well recorded throughout church history, the charismata are not generally recorded by secular sources other than by the believers who claim them for themselves. These hotly debated gifts are usually the gift of speaking in tongues (please note that this is not the generally accepted translation of the gift of the Holy Spirit that referred to the learning of other languages) - which is usually the utterance of unintelligible words and phrases, the ability to interpret such tongues, the gift of prophesy - the believer actually claims to be given further revelations by God or angels, the gifts of knowledge and wisdom, the gift of seeing and understanding spirits, the gift of faith, the ability to work miracles and cause supernatural healings.
Considering the controversial nature of many of the charismata, it is no small surprise that arguments about them have ripped entire congregations apart. Both sides of the argument firmly point to the Bible for support of their opinions, but since both points are mutually exclusive, it is highly likely that only one side is correct. First and foremost amongst those who still hold to the teachings of these controversial gifts are the Roman Catholic Church, Pentecostals, and Eastern Orthodox Christians. There also exist many offshoots of these mainstream religions - usually smaller congregations and splinter groups that also believe in the supernatural gifts - that focus especially on one or another of them.
In the United States, Pentecostal Christians are quite possibly the most vociferous group when it comes to issue of speaking in tongues, casting out demons, and performing healing miracles. Many a time Pentecostal worship is not complete without a display of these gifts at the urgings of the Holy Spirit. Some healings are said to be genuine while others do not stand the test of time. Similarly, some of those who have left the faith claim that the speaking in tongues is nothing but hogwash - but then again it is important to consider the sources of such statements. All in all, it is impossible to say for sure who is correct and who is not. The charismata will probably forever be part of the hotly debated issues in Christianity.